


Demons Inside Us Both ~ Roman Sionis

by imagineaworlds



Series: Demons of the Sionis Family [1]
Category: Birds of Prey (And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) (2020), Birds of Prey (Comic), Birds of Prey (TV)
Genre: Angst, Angst and Fluff and Smut, Angst and Porn, Angst and Romance, Angst and Tragedy, Comfort/Angst, Crazy, Domestic Fluff, Drama & Romance, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Fluff and Smut, Gratuitous Smut, Lemon, M/M, Multi, Romance, Romantic Fluff, Shameless Smut, Smut, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-16
Updated: 2020-09-24
Packaged: 2021-03-07 18:35:20
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 23
Words: 78,548
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26502235
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/imagineaworlds/pseuds/imagineaworlds
Summary: Mor never saw herself living in one of the most dangerous cities in the country before her family disowned her and left her with nothing. Now on her own, she has to turn to the one place that can help her: Gotham City, the city of criminals and vigilantes. Hoping to make a living in the city, Mor makes some very powerful and very dangerous friends. When she meets Roman Sionis, her whole life is turned on its head. Turns out they had more in common than they could have ever imagined.~~~~Birds of Prey and the Fantabulous Emancipation of Harley QuinnRoman Sionis  x  Mor Wreef (OC)
Relationships: Roman Sionis / Victor Zsasz / Original Female Character, Roman Sionis/Original Female Character(s), Roman Sionis/Reader, Roman Sionis/Victor Zsasz, Roman Sionis/Victor Zsasz/Reader, Victor Zsasz/Original Female Character(s)
Series: Demons of the Sionis Family [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1926778
Comments: 21
Kudos: 19





	1. Prologue

Gotham was just as dirty, smelly, and shitty as I had imagined it would be. The bus had dropped me off on a corner in the middle of the night, barely giving me enough time to grab my bags from the carriage underneath before it drove off into the night. _Asshole_ , I thought of the driver. It was cold, I had nowhere to go with my things, and the driver had left me completely stranded in one of the most dangerous cities in America. I was utterly screwed. Though, I suppose I should’ve thought the move through before just getting on the first bus out of my hometown, but I was so desperate to get out. Another day there and I would’ve jumped off the nearest skyscraper. Home just wasn’t home for me anymore, but I hoped that Gotham— smelly, disgusting Gotham— could be my new start. I just had to find a place to stay first.

Thankfully, I was smart enough to charge my phone on the last leg of the trip, which left me with options. It was nice to know that not all of my screws had fallen loose in my head. I still had some of my old self in there, looking out for me, I guess. With my phone, I managed to track down the nearest and cheapest motel I could find. There wasn’t much I could afford with what little I was given, but I could make it do for the weekend until I got a job and started making ends meet. I could make this work.

As I dragged my things through the streets of Gotham, I made sure to grip my taser in case I got jumped. I knew what I was in for when I decided to move. I knew what I had to do to protect myself. Like I said, making ends meet. If some guy was going to jump me, I would do what I would have to.

Though the motel wasn’t far from the bus stop, every dark alley I passed made my skin crawl. Then the sight of the motel itself made me rethink all of my life choices that led me to this moment. _The Pixie Dust_ . That was what the motel was called. _The Pixie Dust._ Dear god. Inside was just as bad as you could imagine a cheap motel called The Pixie Dust being. The carpet had all sorts of stains and smells, half of which I couldn’t recognize. There was furniture in the lobby, sure, but half of them had been torn apart by people, and the other half were overrun with bugs and mice clawing their way into the cushions. Great.

The check-in desk itself was the nicest part of the lobby, despite the chipping and molding paint on the walls. There was a man sitting at the front desk, his cheek stuck against an old newspaper as he slept, and his hands buried in his pants. This was what I had to work with… _Well… I’ve had to deal with worse, I guess._

I rang the clerk bell, and it gave a broken and faint ring, but it was sudden and loud enough to wake the attendant. With a jump, the man awoke in a confused daze. He pulled the newspaper from his face and rubbed the drool off his cheek after he pulled his hands from his pants.

“Hi,” I smiled innocently. I had enough money for this place, but not enough to get swindled. A girl like me, a guy like him? I was sure to get some kind of discount out of his small, buried hopes that he would get to sleep with me someday soon in return. “I’m looking for a room for three days. Got anything?” I leaned over the counter and pressed my elbows in a bit to enhance my _features_. 

The attendant looked down, then raised his attention slowly. He gulped, “Yeah…”

“Great. How much?”

He looked down at his rates, trying to piece his mind together again. “Fifty bucks a night, so 150.”

I pouted, “Gee, sir… I don’t have that kinda cash on me…” I adjusted my shirt by pulling it down a smidge to give the appearance of being unbearably hot in the motel lobby. “You sure you don’t have anything cheaper?”

He stared at my chest like my boobs were my eyes, “You, like, new in town, or somethin’?”

I nodded, “That’s right.”

“Got a job?”

“Not yet, but I’m sure hoping to get one soon. If you could just get me something a bit cheaper for a few days, I’ll be able to pay the difference back in no time.”

The man considered while maintaining his gaze at my breasts at an alarmingly obvious rate. “Let’s call it seventy-five for the three days. Anything later and you pay the fifty a night, got it?”

“Oh!” I cheered. “Thank you, mister!”

“Call me Cal,” he grinned widely, showing off his yellow teeth to me.

“Cal…” I let his name roll off my tongue. “You’re so generous, Cal. Thank you.” I put a fifty, a twenty, and a five in front of him, trading him for the room key. “I’m Mor. It’s been such a pleasure getting to meet you, Cal,” I complimented with a faux smile as I grabbed my things again and started heading to the room that belonged to the key I held in my hand. When I turned away from the desk, my smile faded. _Sucker_. It could’ve gone better, I’ll be honest. He could’ve given me the first night free, but the fact that my girls got me from 150 to 75 made all the difference.

The bedroom was just as bad— if not _worse_ — than the lobby. The carpet still had those nasty stains, but I could definitely imagine what these ones were… The windows had no blinds or drapes, only bars on the outside to stop any break ins, but not to stop people from peeking in. Figured I’d be changing in the bathroom, then. The bathroom was a wreck, too. The light didn’t work, the tile on the floor probably hadn’t been cleaned in years, there was no toilet paper, no towels, no tissues, nothing. Just a sink filled with mold, and a shower head crawling with ants. 

“Good job, Mor. Look what you’ve gotten yourself into this time.”

I didn’t want to think about what was on or in or under the bed as I fell on the comforter. Don’t even start with me, okay. I know. Trust me, _I know._

I set up shop with my computer and notebooks at the desk across from the bed. It was late and I was exhausted from traveling across states, but I had to figure out my job hunt before the three days were up and Cal started charging me more. I would’ve taken any job at that point, to be frank. Despite my fancy college degree and some work force experience, I’d take even the shittiest under the table job if it meant just barely skating by.

I researched jobs in Gotham, starting with the unrealistic high paying jobs and slowly working my way down to the small burger joints. I wrote down the potential candidates, researching when and how I could make an appointment for a job interview, if I even could make an appointment. I figured with the small burger joints I’d be able to just walk in and they’d throw an apron at me. But with the big jobs I wanted and _needed_ , that was going to be more of a challenge.

Big names like Wayne Enterprises appeared at the top of the list, and I wrote them down, because why not? Around the middle were names like Janus Corporation, which I had never even heard of, but what was the harm? Then there was Sal’s Burger Joint, which was scraping the bottom of the barrel. One hour of work and research and only ten job offers I could swing. _Sure._

“Wayne Enterprises,” I chuckled, running my finger over the name. What were the chances? Low, I was sure— but, hey, I was always a big daydreamer. Never killed anyone to think what it would be like to work for Bruce Wayne, one of the wealthiest men alive. “Don’t get in over your head, Mor.” I had a weird habit of talking to myself when either I was extremely nervous or extremely tired. That night, I was both. “You’re gonna be fine. Just get some sleep,” I started dragging my feet to the bed. I didn’t even attempt to climb under the covers, not with the smell coming from the mattress. I figured my safest bet was staying in my clothes with nothing touching me. Even if I froze to death. “Wayne Enterprises and Janus Corporation. Then the stupid burger joints. Deal? Deal.” I know, I sound like a complete lunatic, but if you were me, what would you do? Not talk to yourself?

Fair.


	2. Part One

Demons Inside Us Both. A Roman Sionis Fanfiction Novel.

Roman Sionis x Morgana “Mor” Wreef (OC).

Part One. Finding the Devil.

Six Chapters. Warnings of descriptive violence and harassment.


	3. Day One in Hell

Considering my temporary residence situation, I managed to sleep like a baby. Even though the sun blinded me at about seven in the morning, and I noticed that a group of homeless men were starting to gather outside my window to stare at me, it was going to be a good day. With a potential job on the horizon, I knew that not even the guy masturbating across the street to the image of me waking up could ruin my day. _Fucking Gotham_ . I guess that anyone could be a creep anywhere— I mean, that’s just basic knowledge— but Gotham seemed to be _crawling_ with them. I was starting to catch on that there were more creeps than actual, normal human beings in this city.

I dragged myself back to my desk and started up my computer before flipping through my notebook to find the notes I had on all the jobs I was looking for. I called Wayne Enterprises first, and was immediately met with an obnoxiously bubbly girl. She droned the stupid: “Wayne Enterprises, how many I help you?” before I could put on my fake, sweet voice for her. I responded with the stupid: “Hi! My name’s Mogana Wreef. I saw that there are a few openings at Wayne Enterprises, and I was wondering if I could sneak in for a quick job interview?” _Sneak in_ ? I gagged. Who was I? I sounded so _nasally_ and _annoying_. Ew.

“Oh, my gosh! Yeah! You have such a pretty name!” she squeaked, and I rolled my eyes. “We’re pretty booked already, but we can fit you in at 9AM. Is that okay?”

I flicked my wrist over and looked at my watch. It was just past 7:30. “That would be _amazing_. You’re really a life savior.”

“Don’t mention it! We’ll see you then.”

“Thank you!” I hung up the phone and crossed off Wayne Enterprises from my list. A 9AM job interview? I had to be one of the first, right? That interview could go one of two ways: I’d be remembered because I was the first and managed to get in before the interviewer got bored or I could be caught on a really bad morning for them before they had their coffee and breakfast. Shit.

After Wayne Enterprises, I called Janus Corporation, and it went _exactly_ like the last call. The same kind of girl answered with the same, classic pickup, and the same responses from me. Only this time she told me that the only time they could fit me was at 3PM that afternoon. Sure, why not? What else did I have going on, realistically.

Once I had all of my interviews lined up, except for the ones that I couldn’t call in about, I decided to brave a shower in the bathroom from hell. I kept on a pair of flip flops and used my phone’s flashlight after discovering that the bathroom light hadn’t magically fixed itself over night. As for the ant infested shower head and moldy walls, I kept to myself and let the water run on, what was supposed to be, boiling hot water for five minutes. Most of them washed away, however, the few stragglers stayed away from the nozzle long enough for me to take my shower. _Thank god_.

With little time to get ready and to get downtown, I rushed my makeup and hair. _Loose curls and natural makeup are still a thing… right?_ It didn’t matter. It was all I could spin, and with the men still outside my window, I was anxious to get out of the motel. I waved to Cal on my way through the lobby, noticing that his hands were once again buried in his pants, watching my hips sway like I was his to watch. I felt the taste of bile rising in my throat as I hurried to the door. A few of the men who had been watching me through the window whistled and catcalled me as I walked the opposite direction, gripping my keys like a weapon in one hand and holding my pepper spray in the other. I couldn’t afford to think over stupid things like them and Cal when I had a job interview that could potentially change my life.

If everything went even the slightest bit alright at Wayne Enterprises, then maybe I’d have a chance of surviving in this stupid city. Maybe. But the odds that a place like _Wayne fucking Enterprises_ would even hire me was such a long shot. Maybe I had a better chance at a smaller name like Janus… and if all else failed, I could just go to Sal’s Burger Joint.

_Burger._

Fuck. I didn’t have breakfast… Maybe _I’d_ be the cranky one, not the interviewer. Shit “Just be perfect, little, white, valley girl you. They’ll love you.” _Even though it’s not really you._ But that’s not the point, right? No one’s really themselves, even when they say shit like: “I’m so glad that I can be myself around you!” No. We’re all still playing the part of who we want to be to that person.

I firmly believe that the only time we’re ever our true selves is when masturbating. Right? Hear me out. When you’re by yourself you can make whatever noises or faces you want. You can search for whatever kinky shit you want on whatever porn site that gets you off. You can touch yourself how you want, imagine the things you want, say the things you want, etc. See? I’m not wrong.

Why can’t people just be that honest with themselves outside of the house? Like, why has society warped us so much that we can’t be ourselves around _anyone_ ? Even the people we love. I thought my family would love and support me unconditionally, no matter what I did, because that is what family is for. But, _god forbid_. They were just looking for one reason to kick me out, and they did. They cut me off with no money, no home, no community, no love, and definitely no spot in my dad’s fucking will. Not like I was going to get much out of it, anyways…

Wayne Enterprises was much bigger than I had anticipated. I thought that it was going to be just a skyscraper with WAYNE plastered to the top, but no. It wasn’t just one building, but _three_ , all connected with bridges, like a hospital. _Jesus_. I managed to chase someone down outside the front building and ask where I needed to go for my job interview. They told me to go fuck myself. Nice. I followed them inside, though, and discovered a directory just inside the doors. Nice to know I wasn’t the only one dumb enough to get lost in a place like this. The office I needed to go to was in the second building, third floor. I checked my watch. 8:45. I could make that. No biggie.

Wrong. Very fucking wrong. I had misinterpreted how big the buildings were. After a security guard told me I couldn’t walk through the buildings, I had to walk around them, which doubled my trip. Just getting around the first building took about five minutes, then to find the door to the second building took another five minutes. So much for being early, presentable, and respectable. Now I just prayed that I would at least be on time. But as luck would have it, the lobby was entirely filled with others trying to get signed in for their job interviews. The line itself took another seven minutes. I was starting to sweat through my jacket with anxiety.

When I got to the front desk, I put on my little, pretty, white, valley girl voice, “Hi. Oh, my gosh. It was so impossible finding this place. I have an interview that started at 9AM? What’s the fastest way there?”

The guard rolled her eyes, “Name and business at Wayne Enterprises.”

I gave her a startled, doe eyed look, “Right! Of course!” I giggled. Ugh. “Morgana Wreef. I have a 9AM job interview.”

“Well, you’re late.”

“I know…” I pouted. “This place is just so huge—“

“I’ve heard it all before, lady.” The security guard handed me a tag, “Clip this to your jacket, somewhere where it is always visible. Go to the third floor, fourth door on your left.”

“Thank you so much!” I cheered, catching the startled attention of the rest of the lobby. _Too much?_ _Never_.

I clipped the security tag to the outside pocket of my suit jacket and made an embarrassing dash for the elevators. Like a true idiot, I continuously pressed the elevator button at lightning speed, like it would make it appear faster. It didn’t. Nearly all _six_ elevators had to travel from floor twenty or higher. I tapped my foot fast like a dog stretching on the carpet does. You know the kind of tap. Don’t tell me you don’t.

The moment the elevator dinged, I squeezed myself between the still opening doors and impatiently pressed the number 3 over and over again. _Beam me up, Scottie._

The elevator was so fucking slow. My luck. Then, just like the world had it out for me, I jumped out of my skin when I heard Bruce Wayne’s voice echo in the elevator. “What the fuck?!”

“Welcome to Wayne Enterprises. My name is Bruce Wayne. From all of us at Wayne Enterprises, welcome. Make today the best day. Here at Wayne Enterprises, we strive for—” Did this play all day, every day? I couldn’t imagine coming to work at 7AM every day to the frightening volume of Bruce Wayne’s voice droning the same words over and over again. How had the people working here not gone insane? I commended them.

When the elevator arrived at the third floor, I was already out before Bruce Wayne could tell me: “Have a nice day!” Despite the stares I got from people working in their cubicles, I fucking _ran_ for the fourth door on the left. I raced around the corner into the room and quickly collected myself when I saw that I wasn’t alone.

Two women sat at a table on the opposite side of the room where I was standing. The room itself was a small grey room with only a tv on the wall for decor. The table between us was a dark wood with a conference speaker in the middle, but nothing special. It was a very boring and very unsettling room. Especially without windows.

As for the job interviewers, they watched me like a pair of hawks. One had a smile, the other not so much. So, good cop, bad cop, right? Good news for me was, the bad cop was trying very hard not to look me up and down. I could play along with that.

“I am so, so, so sorry. I got here early, I promise. I just didn’t realize how big this place was and immediately got lost.”

“That’s alright,” the good cop said, “it happens to everyone.”

“Don’t let it happen again,” the bad cop commented. “ _If_ there is ever an ‘again’.”

I gulped and took a seat, “You’re right. Um… Anyways… I’m Morgana Wreef, but I prefer Mor. Everyone calls me Mor.” I dug into my bag for my resume and slid it across the table for them. The bad cop took it and I stiffened. “I, um,” I tucked a strand of hair behind my ear as I got myself situated, “I worked retail in high school, managed it when I turned 18, in fact. When I moved to college I got an internship at a business much like this one, counting up the numbers and filing important documents. Once I graduated I got a job at a law firm as a secretary. It didn’t last very long because I decided to move here, but I sure learned a lot.”

“You’ve been very busy,” the good cop said while the bad cop continued to look over my resume.

“Do you know what position you’re interviewing for?” the bad cop asked, not even looking at me.

I shook my head, suddenly very self conscious, “No. I saw that there were multiple positions available that I have enough qualifications and experience for. Figured I’d see which one I could swing.” I quickly winked at the bad cop as an attempt to make a move that would catch her attention.

She laid down my resume and crossed her arms, “Ms. Wreef. Flirting with your job interviewer is a very bad and disgusting habit. I think you should leave.”

“No, wait—”

“Please leave, Ms. Wreef.”

How did I fuck up this bad? I’m such an idiot. See, sometimes acting how you think others want isn’t always the best choice. I’m sure if I acted just a bit more like myself and not some skank who’s willing to sleep with the interviewer for the job, I would already be talking about my first paycheck. Idiot.

Filled with immense shame, I grabbed my things and stood from my seat, a move to leave. They reminded me to not forget my resume, handing it back… That meant a zero chance I would even be considered. Obviously. I left with my head hanging low. The worst part was probably the elevator ride down. “Welcome to Wayne Enterprises. My name is Bruce Wayne. From all of us at Wayne Enterprises, welcome—” _God, someone break the speaker, please._

I returned my security clip at the front desk, sadly noticing how shocked the security guard was to see me back so soon. It was like shouting from the rooftops: “Yes! I bombed my first job interview in nearly a year! Shocker!” Everyone knew it as I left the building, and worst of all was I knew how badly I fucked up, and it rattled me. I couldn’t afford to be rattled on a day filled with job interviews. That just wasn’t how this was supposed to go.

Once outside, I took in a deep breath of the smog filled air of downtown Gotham. It was better than nothing. My stomach growled at me and I thought about how badly I just wanted something to eat, but it had to be something cheap. Would it hurt to go to Sal’s for a sandwich? Probably not, right? Just getting a sandwich and maybe building a bridge in case I needed a safety net. Mainly, I was just focused on eating.

I plugged in the name of Sal’s into my phone’s GPS and started trekking the fifteen minute walk in heels. How stupid am I? Really. Never in a million years would I have thought that it was okay to hit on the person conducting my job interview. I was so much smarter than that. I was more professional than that. I had more self respect than that. But maybe Gotham was already rubbing off on me like that. Gotham wasn’t a good place, and I was sure that with enough pushing, I wouldn’t be a good person anymore. But if you asked my family, I was never a good person. So it’s all up to perspective, I guess. Wayne Enterprises was definitely sure I wasn’t a good person now. Yay. People like that were sure to have friends in high places at other companies. The odds that I was going to get a job worth anything now was very low. I can’t believe I did that.

So Sal’s wasn’t exactly a burger place as he advertised online. More of a Mexican and deli sandwich place hidden in a small family owned grocery store with one aisle. It wasn’t the freakin’ Taj Mahal, but it was nice. It was small, and, frankly, reminded me of home. Home wasn’t exactly the best place, but small was always nice. Sal’s was nice.

I was the only customer when I walked in, but a man, who I could only assume was Sal, stood at the grill anyways, cooking up a storm. He waved and smiled at me as I came in, commenting that I was a new face. He liked new faces. He asked what he could do for me and I asked if he had any breakfast burgers. It was a weird ask, but I was fucking _craving_ a breakfast burger. Imagine it for a moment. An egg challah roll cut in half, buttered and set on the grill for just a minute to crispen up. A juicy, well done burger patty that drips when you hold it in your hands. A sunny side up egg that bursts the moment you sink your teeth into it. Three slices of avocado. Four rings of raw onion. Two slices of melted American cheese. And last, but certainly not least, two pieces of crispy, greasy, delicious bacon. Fuck. Sal was a god send, I was convinced. It was more than just a burger. It was a sandwhich better than sex— better than life. Shit, if I hadn’t just met Sal and was potentially looking to work for him, I would’ve kissed him right then and there. 

Sal watched me eat the sandwich in front of him like my opinion was the only thing that mattered in the world that day. A new customer, a new chance of better income for his family. I got it. But it was more than that. I got the sense that Sal took pride in his food, even though he looked like any regular, hairy, homeless, Armenian man. He wanted to hear that his burger was the best thing to happen to me. And it was. It fucking was.

“Sal, this burger is…” I began, chewing as fast as I could, but still maintaining enough time to enjoy all of the flavors. He leaned in. “It’s so fucking good, Sal. You have to teach me how to make a burger this good.”

He smiled and shook his head playfully, “Nah, then I’d be out of business.” Sal was different. He wasn’t like the other scum in Gotham, and that was a relief. He was just a good man trying to make good food for good people. It comforted me to know that still existed in Gotham. Sal never looked me up and down, never stared at my chest like it was my only defining feature, and he never even hinted at wanting to fuck me. A breath of fresh air. Even though the place really didn’t have any fresh air.

“This made my morning, Sal. It was pretty shitty until this perfect burger.”

Sal scoffed, “I don’t believe it for a second.”

“I’m serious!” I didn’t even have to throw on a fake smile or voice for him. I got as close as I could to being the real me— well, the person I _wanted_ to be— in front of him. The real me would scare any sane person off. But I could be the good person I aspired to be in front of Sal. It was nice. “I totally fucked up my job interview today, but this makes it all worth it.”

“A smart girl like you? No way. I’m sure you were fine,” Sal commented as he started cleaning the grill. He didn’t say it to be creepy or to flatter me so that he could get in my pants later, but just to be kind and cheer me up. How did a man like Sal end up in a city like this?

Janus Corporation wasn’t as big as Wayne Enterprises. It was only one building, and it, of course, had JANUS plastered to the top for all of downtown Gotham to see. It was only a few blocks from Wayne Enterprises, yet it still sat in its shadow. Janus wasn’t as big, as flashy, or as important, but they tried. The people were nicer, too, I suppose. There were people on their way out for meetings and I asked them where I should go, and they told me the floor. I thanked them, easily got my security card, and headed up. There was no elevator music or speech. Just silence except for the dings to signal the passing of floors.

When I called about the job, I assumed that I was going to be interviewed for a sales position, but as I arrived at the floor I was directed to, it looked nothing like a sales floor. At first I wondered if I was on the right floor as I looked around at all of the nice, expensive executive offices, but when I was welcomed by a girl on the opposite side of the hallway, I figured it had to be the right place. Who else would wave to a stranger like me?

I waved back with a forced smile and started walking down the hallway of executive offices, taking note that most of them belonged to board members and the CFO. Why was I on this floor, of all places? Maybe this was the only floor with a spare office to conduct the interview. Yeah. That sounded plausible. Okay. No fucking this up. Just… be the person you were with Sal. That’s a good person to be in front of strangers.

“Morgana Wreef?” the lady asked, sticking out her hand. She was the girl I had spoken to on the phone.

“Mor. Yes,” I shook her hand.

“It’s so great to finally meet you,” she started walking fast away from me and I tried to catch up. “Just a fair warning before I send you in with the sharks,” she laughed, “they’ve been in there all day with girls just like you. Keep on a smile, be peppy, be memorable, and don’t bore them. Okay?”

So she wasn’t the one who was going to conduct my interview. She was just the welcome party. Fair enough. The interview was set in the office at the very end of the hallway, hidden behind a large desk, which probably belonged to her. She had to be some sort of secretary. She opened the door to the office for me and closed it quietly once I was all the way in. There was only one man in the room, an older man. His nose was deep in a stack of papers, and his glasses were falling off his nose before he noticed me walk in. He looked harmless enough, I supposed.

I smiled at him and approached an empty chair across from him. I stuck out my hand and shook his, “Mor Wreef. It’s a pleasure.”

“More reef?” he laughed.

I chuckled back at him to play along. It was a common misconception, I understood his confusion. “Sorry. My name’s Morgana Wreef— with a W— but I go by Mor. I guess I should’ve started with that.” Well, that was surely one way to be memorable. But where was the “they” the girl outside referred to?

“I’m sorry that it’s just me for the interview today, Mor. My hiring committee had other matters to attend to, I’m sure you can understand.” I nodded and smiled as I took my seat. “My name’s Richard, I’ll be the one conducting your interview today. Do you have a resume?”

“Yes, I do,” I tucked my hair over my ear again as I reached for it. Was this my new thing? Playing with my hair when I was nervous? When had I become one of those girls? I handed him my resume, “Sorry, it’s a bit crumpled.”

Richard shook his head like it wasn’t a problem as he looked it over. “Ah, I see you have some experience as a secretary. Tell me about it.”

I cocked a brow before answering him. What did that have to do with being a sales person? “I was a secretary at a law firm before moving to Gotham. I mainly highlighted important lines on documents, filed things where they belonged, took calls, made appointments, got morning coffee, and so on. Nothing too special, I suppose.”

“Which one of your listed jobs was your favorite?”

“Probably being a secretary.”

“Is that so?”

I nodded.

“Ms. Wreef, why do you think you’d be suited for this job, other than what your resume suggests.”

I turned red. “I’m sorry, sir. I came here under the impression that I was being interviewed for a sales position… but I’m starting to think that’s not true…”

“It’s a secretary position… or an assistant position, if you prefer that term better. Most people these days get all worked up when they hear the word: “secretary”. Like it’s taboo now to have one. But they’re a necessity here at Janus. So what makes you perfect for this position, other than previous experience?”

A secretary? For who? This guy? That didn’t sound so bad. But my answer was complete and utter bullshit. He knew it and I knew it. Then, he proceeded to ask another few pointless questions in order to make the interview worth while for the both of us. By the end of it, he looked extremely bored and unamused. Another lost cause.

Gotham: 1. Me: 0.

He thanked me for my time shortly after, shaking my hand and seeing me out, but he didn’t return my resume, which was some sort of hope. Maybe I hadn’t completely blown it. At least it wasn’t as bad as my first interview at Wayne Enterprises. I wasn’t sure I could ever live that down. The Wayne buildings would always be a reminder of the fuck up I am. Maybe Janus, Co. would be, too. Only time would tell.

The sun set early that time of year back at home, and even earlier in Gotham. It was like the city favored and invited the night. Like vampires or owls, the city would truly come to life at night. All of the clubs and bars were filled, criminals acted like it was Disneyland, and cops acted like they were totally blind. But I wanted no part of it. I didn’t need to get wrapped up in something else and prove my parents right. This was all about new beginnings, and making a name for myself. I couldn’t make a name for myself if I was robbed my second night in Gotham. I had to be careful. So I went to Sal’s for dinner around 6PM after wandering around the city a bit like a classic tourist. Sal’s was now the only affordable place I knew and trusted. He fixed up two fish tacos for me, and I didn’t even want to think about asking how “fresh” the fish was. There were things that were better unknown and better unsaid.

Sal handed me the sandwich, I paid then continued to stand there like a total idiot. He asked if everything was alright and I played with the foil around the tacos like a psycho. “Sal?” I croaked and he listened carefully. “You hiring? I could really use a job. I think I totally mucked up my interviews today.”

He looked me up and down, but not in a pervy way like Cal or the bad cop lady at Wayne Enterprises. He was just taking notice of my attire and defeated face. “I’m not, but I can get you in contact with some good people I know. Good paying people.”

“But, you don’t even know me…”

I was just some strange lady who happened upon his store twice in one day. He knew my name and my face, but that was it. He didn’t know my story or if I was a good person like him. He didn’t know what I was capable of, yet he offered his help. Why?

“I’ve seen plenty of girls like you come in and out of this place with the same desperation you have, and I turned them away, too. Least I can do is find someone who _can_ help you.”

“You— you don’t have to do that,” I smiled nervously.

“I don’t, but I’m going to, anyways. You come back by here tomorrow morning for some breakfast and I’ll let you know what I’ve got.”

“Thank you, Sal.”

“Don’t mention it. Now get on home before it gets too dark out there.”

“I don’t have a home,” I whispered, but it was loud enough for him to hear. I thanked him again for the food and the offer and headed back to the motel.

 _The Pixie Dust_. Jesus, it still made me cringe. How could a place so horrible be called something so innocent. Disgusting. Just like the inside, right? Cal was staring at me again as I walked in, as though he had been expecting my sudden reappearance. Weirdo. He licked his lips as I sent an innocent wave his direction and continued on my way to my room.

There wasn’t much I knew about Janus, Co. or this Richard guy. For the most part, I knew everything I needed to know about Wayne Enterprises. Everyone in the world knew about it— especially Bruce Wayne. He was the world’s hottest playboy, and everyone wanted him. Everyone except me, which sounds so cliché and stupid… like I was trying to be different and important. But, it was true. I didn’t see the appeal of Bruce Wayne. He just wasn’t my type. And nor was this Richard guy, by any means.

But who was he and what did he mean to Janus, Co. in order to get an office like that? So I did some research when I got back to my room. I Googled the only thing I could think of: Janus Corporation Richard. It was a long shot. This guy could have been a total nobody, just another name in a big city. But there he was, with a Wikipedia page and everything. Richard Sionis. Founder and CEO of Janus Corporation.

“Holy shit,” I muttered while scrolling through his Wikipedia page. That was the fucking CEO of Janus Corporation who interviewed me, who was looking for a girl like me to be his assistant. A guy like that was sure to waste money on a position like that just to make sure his assistant stuck around. That could’ve been my chance at making it all work in Gotham, and I totally fucked it up.

I jumped out of my skin when I got a call from an unknown number. I picked up the phone without a second thought, and while still scrolling through his biography, I asked who it was.

“Mor Wreef?” a girl asked— the same girl from Janus, Co. who had answered my call in the morning and welcomed me when I arrived at the building. _What the hell?_ I answered her with a croaked response. “Mr. Sionis wanted me to call you before it got too late here and let you know that you got the job.”

I felt my heart skip a beat, “What?”

“Yeah.” She didn’t sound as cheery as she had been earlier. “He wants you to start tomorrow. You need to just get him a coffee when you come in and I’ll help you settle in from there. Think you can do that?”

“Yes. Of course.”

“Good. Black coffee with one sugar. No more, no less. And absolutely no cream, unless you want to get fired on your first day. Be at the office at 7AM and be prepared to stay late. He dictates your flexible hours. Sometimes you’ll go home at noon, other times you’ll go home at midnight. Either way, you’re going to get paid handsomely, but he’ll discuss that with you tomorrow.”

“Thank you so much,” I smiled into the phone, but it wasn’t fake this time. I had done it. I didn’t royally fuck it all up. _Yes_. “I don’t even know your name, but thank you.”

“It’s Erika,” she informed me. “I’ll see you bright and early tomorrow.” Then the call disconnected without another word between us.

I slowly closed my computer as I tried to comprehend what was going on. “Holy shit.” I felt like a broken record, but how could I not be? I was going to be working for Richard Sionis. At Janus Corporation. I had a job. I could afford a new place soon. My own place. “Fuck. Yes.”


	4. Hell Gets Worse

I didn’t think that I could possibly be more tired if I just never went to sleep in the first place. At least I wouldn’t have gotten a taste of what sweet sleep was like. But there I was, running on less than five hours of sleep and getting ready for my first day of work. I only prayed that Sal’s was open so early for the coffee I desperately needed, and the coffee I was ordered to get for Mr. Sionis. What a crazy thought. Working for _the_ Richard Sionis. The Janus, Co. name was everywhere in Gotham. On every building and every corner. And I was a part of it.

Cal wasn’t awake at the front desk as I snuck out, which _had_ to have been a good sign. As for my usual audience of creepy homeless men, they seemed to have dispersed, likely being more interested in sharing a needle under some bridge. I was sure that if it was a little later in the morning I would’ve run into them, but luck was on my side, and so was traffic. I made it to Sal’s in no time, and, of course, the place was already open. The divine scent of crispy, delicious bacon hit me from three stores down, and it was like heaven the moment I stepped into the shop.

“Back so soon?” Sal asked playfully, starting to throw a burger patty on the grill for me. Was this my new normal? I could get used to it. “Breakfast burger and what else?”

“Two coffees, please, Sal,” I responded as I started digging into my purse for my wallet. Sal grabbed two hot cups and filled them with black coffee from the dispenser behind the counter. It definitely wasn’t fresh, but it would do. I grabbed a sugar packet from the right side of the counter where utensils and condiments were sitting. I shook it in my fingers, hitting it against my palm, until I felt that the sugar had loosened up. Sal and I traded coffee for cash, and I felt guilty that I couldn’t afford to tip him now, but with my new job, I’d be able to start tipping him soon. That was what I told him, at least.

He popped the register open, “So you got the job?” I nodded as I put the coffee lids on. “Told ya you’ll do just fine here, kid.” I smiled at him as a thanks. “You nervous?”

“Kinda. But who isn’t on their first day?”

Sal shrugged and wrapped my breakfast for me in foil, “Good point.”

“You wouldn’t know. How long’s this place been here, anyways?”

“I opened it back when I first moved here, say about… fifteen years ago? That Sionis kid was still working with his dad.”

“I heard about that. What happened?” I figured the more I knew about my new employer, the better. I didn’t want to be caught off guard by anything. At some places it was tradition to fuck with the newbies, and I had to prepare for the case that Janus was like that. Mr. Sionis probably wouldn’t, but who knew if my new coworkers would be so kind.

Sal shrugged again, “No one knows the full truth. One day he was climbing the social ladder with his dad at Janus, the next he was out on the streets with no connections.”

 _Sounds familiar_. One would think that family would be a little more understanding and supportive, but Mr. Sionis’s son and I knew the sting of being turned away. But it sounded like this fraction in Janus, Co. happened over a decade before I arrived in Gotham. The likelihood that Mr. Sionis had grown and learned from his actions was close to certain. Everyone learns from their mistakes, no matter how old they are. I could only hope that Mr. Sionis wouldn’t kick me to the streets at the first sign of trouble, either.

The walk to Janus, Co. as the sun started rising over the skyscrapers of downtown Gotham had me mesmerized. My feet pulled me along like I was in a trance as I gazed at the windows reflecting the yellow and orange hues of the sky. _What a view._ Such a shame that the view was tied to such a piss-poor reputation. The beautiful mornings like that day could convince any other person that the city was _beautiful_.

At the front desk, the security guards gave me my fancy, legit security card so that I wouldn’t have to walk up to them every morning. As they put it, “We won’t always be here when you’re here.” Which was expected, I guess. Like I had been told the night previous, my hours were different from everyone else’s, and I couldn’t just call security every time I needed to get into the building. But it was also a good first step to make friends with them.

I finally arrived on the floor where Mr. Sionis’s office was, after an elevator ride that was so long and stressful it reminded me of the one I’d had the day before at Wayne Enterprises. I saw Erika look up from her cell phone when the elevator doors opened to take note of what I was wearing and the two coffees I held.

As I exited the elevator, Erika took the coffees, trading them for a stack of papers and manilla folders. I wanted to comment that one of the coffees was mine, but she was already walking away without even having said a word to me. Not the usual, chipper Erika I had recently come to know. She knocked on Mr. Sionis’s office door before opening it. We both walked in, and I saw him sitting at his desk, typing away at his computer.

With my job interview nerves the day previous, I hadn’t really gotten a good look at Mr. Sionis. In my head, I had this vague image of what he looked like, but I couldn’t remember the details of him. But in that moment, watching him hard at work, only half acknowledging mine and Erika’s appearance, I could see everything about him.

Mr. Sionis was an older man, perhaps in his late fifties, and it showed through the small wrinkles around his eyes, forehead, and mouth. But more noticeably was his dyed black hair and beard, but I could see where the dye had grown out at his sideburn, his hair slowly turning grey. It wasn’t a bad or old kind of grey, it was a fashionable grey. A grey fox, I supposed. As for his beard, it was short and scratchy, with a salt and pepper look. It balanced a look of someone who could have been my age, or someone who could’ve been sixty. It was a good look on him, and he knew it. He was proud of his look, and he worked hard on it, I could tell. But he hid his body under a suit that was almost too big for him, but I could see who he really was. He was fit, but not too much— like he had let himself go in his early years, but recently took up weight lifting.

Ultimately, I determined that Mr. Sionis was attractive enough that no one would have doubts about sleeping with him, but he was just old enough that if he slept with anyone my age it would be considered creepy and predatory. And that was certainly the feeling I got from him. I knew that if I had to, I’d possibly consider flirting with him to get what I need, but I wouldn't ever sleep with him.

His light green eyes looked up as we stood at attention in front of him after Erika set his coffee down. “Ms. Wreef,” he greeted politely, accepting the coffee after taking note that I hadn’t bought it from a chain brand, “it’s lovely to see you again.”

“Likewise, Mr. Sionis. Thank you for this opportunity.” God, I sounded like such an ass kisser, but that was how I needed to be if I were going to succeed at Janus Corporation.

“Well, you made quite an impression yesterday. Erika, here, will get you all settled in today, but feel free to ask me any questions, should you have them.”

“Thank you, Mr. Sionis.”

Mr. Sionis picked up his coffee and took a sip as Erika and I started to see ourselves out of his office. “Ms. Wreef,” he called, “where’s this coffee from?” he asked, like it was a problem, not a curiosity. I froze. Maybe I should’ve gone to the Gotham Coffee chain around the corner, sacrificed a few extra dollars. But I cautiously informed him that it was from a local place I liked and he perked his eyebrows as if he were impressed by something. “It’s good.” I nodded an agreement with a relieved smile before leaving with Erika.

After politely closing the door behind me, I breathed a sigh of relief. I turned to talk to Erika, but she had already quickly made her way back to her desk and resumed work. I set down the stack of papers she handed me while she tapped away at the computer’s keyboard. “This is your desk,” she started. “The password to the computer is SionisIndus, and you are not allowed to change it. Your job is mainly narrowed down to four things: organizing files, taking calls, scheduling appointments, and catering to any of Mr. Sionis’s needs. If he asks you to do something, you do it with no questions asked, do you understand?” I nodded. “Good. My job is to oversee the personal staff for the executives and board members, like Mr. Sionis. Therefore, my job is to be your boss, but to also watch over the dozens of other assistance and secretaries. If you have a question, you come to me, but I get busy fast, so try to figure it out yourself first, get it?” I nodded again. “Good. You’re going to stay at your desk unless Mr. Sionis asks you to do something. Lunch is at noon in the assistance room— before you ask, yes, that’s a thing, and I fought hard for it, so don’t abuse it. We eat together, but that’s the only time you’ll see anyone else.” Erika stepped away from the computer, trading places with me. I took a seat at the desk and looked around to see what I had to work with. “Like I said on the phone last night, your hours start at 7AM and continue until Mr. Sionis says you can leave. Most get the weekends off, but Mr. Sionis comes in every day, so you do, too.”

I smiled lightly, trying to make the best out of the situation. “Whatever pays the bills, right?” I whispered under my breath.

Erika chuckled quietly, “Whatever pays the bills.” She tapped the edge of the desk like a drum-set for a moment as she thought, then landed her hands on the stack of papers she had handed me earlier, “Mr. Sionis told me that these need to be organized by client name, so you can start with that,” she slid the stack in my direction.

“Thank you, Erika,” I said sincerely. This job, this opportunity, it meant a lot. It was how I was going to plant my feet for the first time in Gotham, and I had her and Mr. Sionis to thank for it.

“You’re welcome,” she smiled. Erika started looking around in circles over her shoulder for a good reason to leave and not be rude, “I’m going to start making my way around the floor, make sure everyone’s on time. I’ll see you at lunch.”

I nodded understandingly and smiled, watching her head off down the hallway. When she turned the corner, I spun around in my chair to look at Mr. Sionis’s office behind me. The wall behind me was entirely glass, but the view to his office was blocked by grey blinds that had been pulled down for his privacy, which made sense.

An hour or so passed while I was busy organizing the files by client name like I was instructed to do, then Mr. Sionis called me into his office. I grabbed a notepad and a pen, like they always had me do at the law firm, and ran in. When I hurried in, Mr. Sionis was standing at the windows that were overlooking all of downtown Gotham. His hands were clasped behind his back, and he was watching the traffic move slowly down below.

I cleared my throat to let him know I was there, waiting for him to say something. Mr. Sionis turned and smiled at me, “Ah, Ms. Wreef, how’s the file organizing going?”

“Good, sir.”

Mr. Sionis nodded an approval, “Bring me what you’ve done.” He moved to retake his seat at his desk while I rushed to and from my desk, returning with the files I had finished.

I put down the first stack, “There are the Tellter files.” Next, “Here are the Fulite ones.” Last, “And the Genie Foundation.” I kept all three stacks separated in front of him, organizing them neatly on his desk for him to observe the work I had done. I crossed my fingers that it was good enough and that I hadn’t accidentally fucked up.

Mr. Sionis flipped through a few of them to inspect that everything was being done correctly and that I didn’t have to start over. “Good. Any calls or appointments yet?”

“Uh, yes,” I said, flipping through the pages in the small notebook I had. There were left over notes from his last secretary, and at the bottom were more that I had added throughout the morning. “Mr. Sam Goodall called this morning to cancel his one o’clock meeting, but Mr. Forest Tellter called to ask if he could meet with you during that time. Your next meeting is at noon with a Ms. Samantha Uchau.” I looked up from my notes and smiled at him after catching his wandering eyes. All men are the same. Nothing shocked me anymore.

Mr. Sionis shook off a thought, “I’m sorry, could you repeat that for me?” I nodded and reluctantly repeated myself. As I went through his appointments again, I started putting two and two together, but I couldn’t jump to any conclusions yet. When I was done, Mr. Sionis dismissed me. “Oh, but, Ms. Wreef, could you open those for me,” he asked, gesturing to the window blinds that separated his office from viewing my desk in the hallway. I nodded. Yep, two and two. They fit together like a perfect puzzle.

Allow me to put it plainly: _he wants to fuck me, and that was the only reason he hired me._ Good news was, I now knew this and I could use it to my advantage. Like I did with Cal, I would be able to use his hopes against him for my own gain, and that would do because I _really_ needed the money.

Until lunch, I continued to sort through the clients by name. Just before lunch, however, I handed in the rest of the work I had done to Mr. Sionis. I asked if he wanted me to order him anything before his meeting, but he told me he was fine and insisted I go eat my lunch.

The fun part of having to eat with everyone else was the utter humiliation of sitting there with no lunch for myself. There were about fifteen secretaries and assistants, including myself and Erika. She invited me to sit with her and some of her friends for lunch. There were two girls and one _very_ gay man, and I realized that Erika was one of those girls who thought she was really cool because she had a gay best friend. When I sat down, they were talking about some night club that they all liked going to on the weekends. Erika stopped to introduce me to her friends mid conversation, but once the introductions were done, they continued talking about their obsession.

Half way through Erika’s long winded rant about how attractive the owner was, Erika stopped to notice two things about me: one, I did not have a lunch with me; two, I had no fucking clue what they were talking about. She addressed the first thing before anything else. All of her friends started shoving food in front of me, insisting that I eat something. Once I reluctantly accepted their scraps, Erika asked me if I had ever heard of The Black Mask Club. I shook my head and nibbled on a croissant.

Erika gasped and put a hand on my shoulder for dramatic, fake balance. I eyed the touch, but didn’t say anything. “Oh, my gosh!” she exclaimed. “You _have_ to come with us sometime! You’ll fall totally head over heels with the owner.”

“That’s just you, Erika,” one of her female friends joked.

“I don’t really have the money or time for clubbing right now…” I excused. “With my crazy early and late hours now, I’m not sure if I’ll ever be free again.”

Erika rolled her eyes playfully before digging into her purse for something. When she found it, she sighed with relief and held it in front of my face. I put down the croissant I was given and traded it for the black business card she had found for me. I inspected the card, noticing that there was nothing on it except for a gold outline of a glove. I wasn’t sure how this card would be helpful for remembering the name of the club, finding the club, or getting into the club. When I inquired about it, they all laughed at me. I felt oddly stupid.

“It’s a key,” Erika whispered. I raised a brow. “Listen, if you take this card to The Black Mask Club and tell them I gave it to you, they’ll let you in. The club is so private that you need one of these cards to get in. It’s like an invite only kind of thing.”

“So elitist,” I laughed.

“Makes you feel special,” she nudged my shoulder, and I tried to smile. _Special. Sure. We’ll go with that._

I put the card in my back pocket and forgot about it as I headed back to work, trying to finish up what was left of the organizing task I had. When I sat down at my desk, Mr. Sionis’s twelve o’clock meeting was leaving, and his one o’clock was approaching from down the hall.

In the doorway, Mr. Sionis shook Ms. Uchau’s hand and bid her one last goodbye. As she walked away, Mr. Sionis saw me at my desk and noticed the small pile of folders I had left. He commented that I should wait until after his next meeting to bother him. He also asked for discretion, aka “tell no one that this meeting is happening”, which I could make happen.

Mr. Tellter exclaimed Mr. Sionis’s name as he walked around my desk and embraced his friend. Mr. Sionis smiled and ushered his friend inside his office. I spun in my chair, watching as Mr. Sionis closed the blinds between us again. _Discretion. Right._

I spent the rest of my day, after finishing the files, busying myself with research on Mr. Sionis. I was really so bored that I had decided to stalk my boss. I mean, if I was going to seduce him for my job, the least I could do was know more about him. I searched the Wikipedia page on him again, and I dissected it like it was my life. What I found out didn’t exactly shock me, it just disgusted me. Low and behold, Mr. Richard Sionis was married and had three kids. Two of them were still at home and went to some fancy private school, but one of them was older, and came from his ex-wife. I couldn’t find a single picture of his eldest son or anything about him, which I figured just meant he was some druggie that they didn’t like to talk about.

I couldn’t believe that Mr. Sionis, a married man, had hired me just for my looks and a small hope that he would get to sleep with me. How disgusting could the men in Gotham get? To me, marriage was something that could only be seriously considered if you knew with your entire being that you didn’t want to be with anyone else ever again. That if you were going to marry someone, you had to love them entirely and unconditionally. There could be no buts, no cheating, no splitting up. It’s not love if you think that there’s one day you might leave that person for some young and hot secretary. But I guess no one else saw marriage like that.


	5. Demons Unveiled

Five o’clock came and went, but there was still no sign that Mr. Sionis had any intentions of leaving the office anytime soon. Erika, on her way out with the rest of the staff, reminded me that I was to leave when he was leaving or if he would decide to dismiss me for the night. So I sat at my desk, waiting and counting the minutes. The good thing, though, about having to work late was that it meant more money for doing practically nothing. I just needed to sit there and look pretty, which was easy enough.

As seven o’clock approached, Mr. Sionis called me into his office. I grabbed my notepad eagerly and raced in. He asked me if everyone was gone for the night, and I nodded. The warning signs of a creepy boss were all there, and I saw them, but I just had to ignore them in order to survive through my first day on the job.  _ You need the money really fucking bad, Mor _ .

“Two things,” he began, “7142 North Peach Avenue.” I wrote the address down as a note for him. But it wasn’t for him, that was what he told me next. “That’s my home address, should I require something to be picked up or dropped off. It’s also for you, if you ever need it. Don’t ever feel shy to stop by sometime. My wife loves to cook for guests.” Like I said, creepy. “Second, I want the tilapia dish from Shu de Fla. Call the order in for me, along with whatever you want. You may leave after you’ve eaten.”  _ Shu de Fla _ ? I really tried my hardest to stop myself from laughing out loud. What a horrible name, and such a sad attempt to sound foreign and expensive. It sounded like a rip off to me. “I also want the bottle of 1968 Bordeau for us.”

And there was my red light. Wine with my creepy, old, and very  _ married _ boss when the building was entirely empty? Nope. I was smarter than that. “I, actually, had plans with a friend of mine. She’s been calling me nonstop, so I should probably get dinner with her, if you don’t mind…” It was a lie, sure, but it was enough to get away with. Afterall, he knew nothing about me, so he didn’t know who I really knew in Gotham. I wrote down “tilapia and 1968 Bordeau” on my notepad. “The fish and the Bordeau… Anything else, Mr. Sionis?”

“Scratch the wine. My wife’ll kill me, anyways.”  _ Should’ve thought of that before you offered to get drinks with your secretary.  _ “Just the tilapia, Ms. Wreef. Put the order in and you may leave.”

I nodded and tore the paper from the pad, “Right away, Mr. Sionis.”

“And, keep the address, Ms. Wreef. It never hurts to have a safe place to go to.”

_ Safe. Right. _

I ordered Mr. Sionis’s dinner for him from Shu de Fla before grabbing my things and informing him that I was heading out for the day. He smiled and told me he’d see me the following morning at 7AM with a coffee from Sal’s. I awkwardly returned the smile and quickly left, feeling my social meter running low.

Of course, I got dinner at Sal’s, like there was anywhere else I could possibly afford. Sal made me three tacos: one chicken, one beef, and one pork. Like the saint he was, he only charged me for one before asking how my first day on the job went. I told him only the good things because the person I wanted to be to him was someone who didn’t complain about my new, fancy job and my new, fancy boss when he was perfectly happy in a place like this.

I finished my tacos as we talked, but then Sal gave me his usual night time advice, “It’s getting dark, you should head home.” I didn’t try to fight him on it, so I thanked him for the food and left.

The sun had been down for at least an hour, but I didn’t heed Sal’s advice about going to the Pixie for the night. I wanted to see the city, get to know my new home and the people in it. Maybe, just maybe, there was someone else like Sal out there who could show me how to be good. How to be normal. Maybe not all of Gotham was a complete and utter shithole. Also, the Pixie wasn’t exactly the best place for me anymore, seeing how I owed Cal more money at midnight, and I wasn’t really looking to deal with him at the moment. I had other things on my mind, like what to do about my pervy boss.

I wondered if Erika knew about Mr. Sionis. I hoped not, because if she did and didn't warn me, it meant that it had happened to other girls before me. She would be just as accountable as Mr. Sionis if anything happened. I didn’t want to do that to Erika. I wondered if his wife and kids knew. I wondered what he would do to keep any future  _ discretions _ quiet. I wondered what all of the news companies in Gotham would pay for that story. I wondered—

“Give us a smile, pretty!” a man shouted at me from a dark alleyway that I was passing. I kept walking with my head down. “Don’t you fucking ignore me, bitch!” He jumped from the shadows behind me and grabbed me. His grip was tight around my waist, but then he started traveling up, and the second his hand was on my breast was the moment I grabbed his arm and swung him over my shoulder, throwing him to the ground. He groaned and couldn’t even make a move to get up before I started landing punches on his cheeks again and again.

The man beneath me bled and cried for mercy just as  _ He  _ had all those years ago. That was when I saw  _ Him  _ under my fists and my thoughts turned red with anger. Why me every fucking time?! I was sick of being used and seen like an object by men I trusted, like  _ Him _ . I thought that I had put all of it behind me, but I swear that I saw  _ Him _ beneath me, not the homeless man who had jumped me.

Just before I could kill the man, the hallucination faded and I remembered that  _ He  _ was gone. I stumbled back, stepping away from this man as I tried to piece my mind back together again.  _ You’re not back at home. You’re gone from all of that.  _ But this man was barely clinging to life at my feet, and I couldn’t be seen there. I looked up and down the street to see if there had been any witnesses, but it was just us. So I did the only thing I could do.

I ran.

It was pouring cats and dogs as I rang the doorbell on the security gate outside of the Sionis Mansion. It was the largest mansion at the end of a long road filled with other billionaire homes. I was still shaking, and I felt on edge, like someone else was watching me and waiting around the corner. Even in a nice neighborhood like Mr. Sionis’s. That’d be my luck.

“Who is it?” Richard’s voice echoed over the speaker in the doorbell.

I held the talk button down, “Mr. Sionis, it’s Mor Wreef. I’m in some trouble. I was attacked. Can you open up? I have nowhere else to go.”

There was silence on the block, with an exception of the buzzing streetlamp overhead. As I waited for something to happen in the rain, I feared that I had made a mistake by going to him. Maybe he didn’t really mean for me to ever stop by, but was doing it as a favor, thinking that it would get him one step closer into my pants. But then a terrible miracle befell me. He actually buzzed me in.

I didn’t hesitate to push past the gate and run into the quad. Yes, the quad… with a huge garden and fountain to the right. He was really that rich. The front door was down a wide gravel path that led me through the garden, and I saw the door open for me as I approached in a hurry, desperate to get out of the rain. I half expected it to be a servant or Mr. Sionis’s wife waiting for me, angry that a young girl had called her husband in the middle of the night; but it was Mr. Sionis himself, still in his suit, as if he never rested. I ran up to the door and started thanking Mr. Sionis profusely for his help like a broken record. He didn’t have to believe me or help me, but he did. I figured he couldn’t be all bad, then.

He welcomed me into his home with worried eyes, asking if I was alright, and I told him I was just shaken up and had nowhere else to go. “You couldn’t go home?” he questioned, closing the door behind me. He didn’t ask it to be rude, but to learn more about me and the situation I was in. I noted his lack of subtlety. When I told him that I was living at The Pixie Dust and couldn’t afford to pay the owner what I owed him, Mr. Sionis’s whole demeanor changed. He suddenly understood just how broke and desperate I was. That made me an easy target, but what else was I supposed to do? “Should I call the cops? Maybe they could help you find—”

“No, it’s fine,” I insisted, shivering in my own skin. I rubbed my arms to create heat from the friction, hoping to get warm after standing out in the rain like a crazy person.

“Let’s get you a blanket,” he offered, leading me to the living room. I took a seat on one of the couches and started admiring the place while Mr. Sionis grabbed me a warm blanket and turned on the fireplace behind me. “Do you want to talk about it?” I shook my head. “Do you want a drink?”  _ Hell no. Not from you, at least.  _ Mr. Sionis sat on the couch with me and handed over the blanket.

“Thank you, again. I would have gone anywhere else if I could.”

Even as I sat there, shaking from the cold and recovering from being jumped on the street, Mr. Sionis still had the audacity to stare at my wet chest, and think about the things he would do to me if he could. I wrapped the blanket over my back and shoulders, pulling it to cover my torso, too. Mr. Sionis cleared his throat and shuffled around the couch.

“This is all very nice of you, Mr. Sionis.” I was at a total loss for words. What was I supposed to say?  _ ‘Yeah, I nearly killed a guy tonight. By the way, thank you for hiring me.’ _ I’d love to see how much longer I’d be allowed to stay in his home after that conversation. Wonder if he’d fire me…  _ that was sarcasm. _

“Oh, it’s Richard, please.”

I nodded an understanding, not knowing how to reply to that either. As I looked around the room for a change of topic, I discovered a great small talk question for him, which was sure to take my mind off things for a bit. After asking about the house, Richard started going on a tangent about the house’s history and his wife’s impeccable interior design talent. The living room we were in was painted red, but dark enough that in the sunlight I was sure that it didn’t hurt the eyes. As for the decor, the couches were all black, but none of them looked the same in shape or size. Over the fireplace behind us, like a total supervillain, there was a huge portrait of Richard. I asked about the picture and he started telling me another story about it. He finished by saying that his wife was very proud of the home that she had decorated for their family, but he admitted that the portrait was off putting to him most of the time. 

“Where  _ is  _ your wife?” I asked while praying that she was somewhere nearby.

“Upstairs, asleep.”  _ Shit. _ “I probably should be, too, but time is money, right?” he laughed, and I joined him in an attempt to not be any more weird than I already was. I just hoped and prayed that I wouldn’t have to sleep with my boss after the night I was having.

“And your children?” He raised a brow. “I saw the pictures on the wall,” I gestured.  _ And I totally didn’t stalk your Wikipedia page earlier. _

Richard stood to grab one of the family photos before sitting back down next to me. “This is little Fredrick, my prodigy— as he puts it,” he was pointing to his son in the photo, perched up on his shoulders. The picture was from some vacation to somewhere extremely expensive. They were all wearing white and fashioned bright smiles in front of a gorgeous view. “He’s seven, but he’s already got his eyes set on taking over the company when he turns eighteen.” He then pointed to his blonde haired daughter. My blood ran cold when I realized that she looked eerily similar to how I looked when I was her age. “This is River, she’s only fifteen, but she’s every bit a clone of her mother. She’s bossy, moody, and rebellious, yet she still has the kindest heart on this planet. She loves to learn about the world and face obstacles most would deem impossible to conquer.” He looked up at me, “She reminds me of you.” I cringed.  _ Red alert! _ He got up to put the picture back with no mention of his eldest son, which only reassured me that he was some kind of family disgrace.  _ Join the club, buddy.  _ I wanted to know more about this secret son, but I knew that it wasn’t my place to pry. “What about you? Where’s your family? What is the Wreef household like?”

I played with the hem of the blanket covering me, “I don’t know…” I admitted. “I, um… I don’t really like talking about my family, and I’m sure they feel the same way about me.”

“I didn’t mean to pry.”

“No, it’s alright. I picked your brain about your family, so it only made sense to ask again.”

“I’m sorry,” Richard apologized, putting a hand on my thigh as a consolation gesture, but it only unnerved me.

I shifted my legs to the side so that his hand would retreat naturally, “I should probably head back to the Pixie. I don’t want to keep you up or worry your wife.”

“Right… Of course,” he played along. “I’ll call you a cab.”

Richard left the room to call the taxi for me while I started folding the blanket neatly. I was starting to regret having gone to his house for help. I was so naive to think he was just trying to help me. He really wasn’t any different than the guy I beat up an hour ago or  _ Him _ . I mean, for godsake, Richard’s family was upstairs and all he could think about was fucking me.  _ Disgusting. _

While we waited for the cab to arrive, Richard stayed with me at the door. The rain had stopped, of course. It had only been pouring earlier for my dramatic moment.  _ Thanks, universe. _

“I’m glad you took me up on my offer, Mor. My home is always open for you. And, I did mean it earlier, my wife  _ does  _ like to cook for guests.”  _ Yeah, like I’d ever meet your family after all the googly eyes you’ve been giving me. _

There was a honk outside the mansion, and we realized that the driver had been waiting for us to notice his arrival. Richard and I started walking through the quad in front of his mansion and he opened the gate with a code before we stepped out onto the sidewalk. He opened the door to the taxi for me like a true gentleman, and closed it for me once I was settled inside. I rolled the window down so that I could thank him one last time after he told the driver where to take me.

“Take this,” he said, digging in his suit pants pocket. He pulled out a money clip filled with hundred dollar bills. I stiffened.  _ Please, don’t give me money _ . I’d literally feel like a prostitute if he did that. But he did it anyways. “Settle up with the owner of the Pixie, use the extra for the cab fare and whatever else you need.” I reluctantly took the cash from him. “See you at work tomorrow.”

I smiled lightly, “See you in the morning.”

The taxi driver started pulling away and I followed Richard with my eyes as we drove down the street. He waved goodbye to me before walking back into his gated property. I settled in my seat and counted the money he gave me.  _ $200. Holy shit. I can’t use this.  _ I mean, listen, okay. If I were to use this money, I’d be indebted to Richard, and then he could totally use that power to get me to sleep with him or something.  _ I’m gonna be sick _ .

As the taxi pulled up to The Pixie Dust Motel, I paid the driver with some of the cash Richard gave me. I thanked the driver before grabbing my things and jumping out of the car. I walked through the double doors and immediately saw Cal sitting at the front desk. We made eye contact and he perked up when he recognized me. I tried walking faster through the lobby to avoid any confrontation with him, but he came out from behind his desk to catch me.

“Your three nights are up. You got my money?” he interrogated roughly, following me around.

I rolled my eyes and made the turn down the hallway that led to my room, “Not tonight, Cal.”

“Sorry, lady, but we had a deal, and I need to be paid one way or another.”  _ Fucking put your hands on me tonight. Please. I’m just looking for one reason to knock your pervert ass out since I can’t do shit to my boss.  _ “If you don’t have the money, you can repay me in another way.”

“I’ve had the worst night, Cal, back off.”

“Did you not fucking hear me? You  _ owe _ me.”

He grabbed my arm to stop me from walking off and forcefully spun me around. He cupped my breasts hard and started kneading them. Without a second thought, I held the side of his head in my palm and slammed it into the wall. Cal fell to the ground, holding his head as it bled.

“Leave me the fuck alone from now on, Cal.”

He nodded and hid inside himself like a coward. I turned back around and continued on my path to my room while listening to Cal scream in shock and pain. Once inside my room, I didn’t waste a moment before storming around for one of the bug infested blankets. I then hung it around the window for privacy because bars outside my window just weren’t cutting it anymore. No more creepy homeless men jacking off outside my window while they watched me sleep. No more using Cal, no more of Richard being a total creep, and no more of taking any other guy’s shit. I knew that moving to Gotham was supposed to be my new start and I was going to leave my violent past behind, but I had taken enough shit in the three days that I had been in Gotham. I was so fucking done playing nice with these guys. I decided then and there that it wouldn’t hurt to utilize a bit of my old self in order to move up the food chain. That was what everyone else in Gotham did, afterall. Everyone’s got a wicked side, but it was time that Gotham met mine.


	6. Demon in a Club

Cal didn’t come to bother me at any point throughout the night. No one did. Even as I made my way through the lobby in the morning on my way to work, Cal didn’t show his face. As for the homeless men who usually resided just outside my window, it seemed like they had dispersed once they realized that I covered their favorite view with a blanket. I finally and officially felt  _ free _ .

At Sal’s, when I was picking up breakfast and coffee, he clearly knew that something was off, but he chose to not bring it up. Thankfully. I didn’t want to go through everything that had happened the previous night again with Sal. He was one of those people who was better off not knowing about that side of my life.

Then, at work, Erika was waiting for me at my desk and I worried that Richard had told her what happened. Though, if Richard  _ had  _ told her something worth anything, she didn’t say anything about it— which, she was the kind of person to make a big deal of something like that, so I was fairly confident that she didn’t know anything.

My conversation with Erika was fairly quick, which was a relief. She started by asking how my first day went, and I told her it was great. Then she asked me how long he kept me at work, and I told her that he let me leave before dinner. Lastly, she reiterated that if I needed anything at all, that I could go to her, and that she would see me later at lunch. I thanked her for checking on me before we parted ways and I went into Richard’s office to set down his coffee.

I was so sure that I had beat him to work that morning that I didn’t even think about knocking before walking in. Mistake #1.  _ Good job, Mor. _ Richard was reclining at his desk, reading a book with his reading glasses on and everything. I froze in my path when I saw that I wasn’t alone in the room.

“I’m so sorry, Mr. Sionis, I had no idea—”

“Richard. Remember?”

I nodded, “Right, of course, sorry.” I continued on my way to set down his coffee and he thanked me. He put his book to the side and sat up straight in his seat. He asked me how I slept and if things at the motel were now squared away. Having not yet spent the money he gave me on anything, and also having assaulted the owner of the motel, I decided it was best to lie to him. I told him that everything was fine and that I slept well. He took my word as gospel; yet he was still eyeing me warily, as if he also knew that something was off. I just needed space from him, but he was my boss…

“I don’t have any recorded appointments or—” I started.

“Oh, no worries about that, Ms. Wreef. I have a private matter to attend to for the day, I was only just leaving. Forgive me for not informing you sooner, this matter is something I don’t enjoy discussing with others.”

“Is everything… alright?”

Richard nodded, “It’s a work matter, but private. We’re not excluding you, I promise,” he smiled. “The longer you work here, the more you’ll find out. For now, it’s better that you know little to nothing. Fair?”

“Yes, sir.”  _ Another discretion. _

“May I ask you something, Ms. Wreef?” I nodded. “Are you sure you’re alright?”

I was taken aback briefly by his question. While I had always understood that Richard only ever talked to me was because of what was between my arms and below my chin, I never thought that he actually cared about what was going on in my skull. “I’m fine, Mr.—  _ Richard _ . I’ve been through worse.”

Not interested in prying in my personal life any further, Richard nodded and accepted what I had to say. Afterall, he had places to be. “Well, then, here’s everything I need you to work on today. You may leave whenever you’ve finished it. Just leave it on my desk and I’ll review it tomorrow. Sound good?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Good. Have my car brought around, and I’ll see you tomorrow, Ms. Wreef.”

I silently left Richard’s office and took a seat at my desk. As he headed down to the lobby, I called for his car to be brought around like he had asked. Once he was gone, it was just me and all the work Richard left for me. One large stack of papers to go through.  _ Yay _ .

Later, the only sound in the hallway was the echo of my pen tapping against the stack of papers in front of me. My boredom was starting to get the better of me, and Sal’s coffee just wasn’t strong enough to keep me going. In a sense, I was running on the last fumes I had left in me.

My hand let go of the pen and my face fell into my hands. I tried rubbing the sleep away the best I could, “Come on, Mor. It’s just another Tuesday.” What happened the night previous was rough, but it wasn’t anything new. As a woman who was normally looked at as an object over all else, my life was always about using men to my benefit. But the fact that it happened three times, one after the other, all outside my control, was taking a toll on me. It was bringing back horrible memories of  _ Him _ . Memories I thought I had buried long ago.

“Thinking of me, princess?”  _ He  _ cooed in my ear.

I jumped in my own skin and spun around in my seat, searching for any sign of  _ Him _ . Nothing. No one. I sighed. “You’re just tired, Mor. It’s okay.”

“Tough morning, princess?”  _ His  _ voice echoed down the hall. I followed the voice, and nearly fell out of my chair when I saw  _ Him  _ standing there, smiling at me.

“You’re not real!” I exclaimed, wiping my eyes to clear my vision. When I opened my eyes again,  _ He  _ was gone. “Told you.”

“I’m still here, princess.”  _ His  _ touch ran down my spine and I felt a tear fall down my cheek. The memories of  _ Him  _ and the feeling of  _ Him  _ touching me, though it wasn’t remotely real, left me paralyzed. I wanted to kick and scream for help, but just like all those years ago, I couldn’t move. “I know you miss me, princess,”  _ He _ whispered against my hair.  _ Leave me alone. Please… _ “Aren’t you happy to see me again, princess?”

My lip quivered and I shook my head, “No… You’re not real. You’re not real. You’re not real.”

I blinked harshly, letting the feeling of paralyzation wash away as I gained my courage to face the ghost of my past. When I looked up to confront  _ Him _ , my blood ran cold.  _ He  _ wasn’t there. Like I said,  _ He  _ wasn’t real. The more I reminded myself, the better I got. For years, I hadn’t seen a glimpse of  _ Him _ , but now, like clockwork, as something horrible happened to me,  _ He  _ decided to reappear.  _ He  _ had always been an asshole, but now  _ He _ was an asshole stuck in my fucked up head.  _ He  _ always said  _ He  _ wanted to be with me forever… I guess, in some fucked up way,  _ He _ won.

Then, at lunch, I sat with Erika and her friends again. They were talking about The Black Mask Club again, and the owner named Roman. I stayed there, listening quietly, while snacking on apple slices Erika had silently slid my way when I originally sat down. As I listened to them gossip about one of Gotham’s most eligible bachelors, I couldn’t stop seeing  _ Him  _ sitting across from me.  _ He _ was still laughing and smiling at me like  _ He  _ had been taunting me all morning.

“Are you alright, Mor?” Erika asked, like she had been trying to get my attention for a while. I turned to her. “You look so pale. Are you sick?”

Originally, I was going to shake my head and tell her that everything was fine, but  _ His  _ eyes were watching me and I felt like I was going crazy again. So I nodded and pushed the apples to the side.

“Oh, darling,” Sean, Erika’s male and  _ very  _ gay friend, cooed.

“Listen, Mr. Sionis isn’t coming back to the office for the rest of the day, so why don’t you head out?”

Unable to piece anything together other than the thought of  _ Him _ , I simply nodded once more and stood from my seat at the table. I wavered a bit when  _ He _ stood, too.  _ Leave me alone. You’re not real, motherfucker. I got rid of you a long time ago. _

“Never, princess,”  _ He  _ snickered. I nearly threw up on the table then and there.

Stumbling around, I grabbed my things from my desk while trying to block out the feeling of  _ His _ breath on my neck. Seeing all the work sitting on my desk made me uncomfortable. I had only been at Janus for a few days and I was already asking for time off. If I didn’t at least try to do my job, I could lose it. Besides, maybe a distraction like work would keep my mind off of  _ Him _ . 

Without anyone around to stop me, I gathered everything Richard left for me to work on and stuffed it into my bag.  _ He _ snickered at me when  _ He  _ realized what I was doing, but I ignored  _ Him  _ the best I could. I thought that if I hurried to the elevator,  _ He _ might not catch me. I know that was an unrealistic wish, but I was desperate to be rid of  _ Him _ again.

Hours passed with the work I was doing for Richard. However tedious the work got, though, it managed to distract me from the idea of  _ Him _ for the afternoon. I didn’t hear or see him once, which was a relief, but I couldn’t let my guard down and think that it was all over with. Even when I finished the work and thought I’d let myself slip, I tried to keep my mind busy with whatever I could find laying around the motel room. I started with the bathroom, evicting the bugs that had been living in the shower, then I managed to fix the light with some miracle work.  _ He _ didn’t bother me at all during this, even though I could’ve sworn I saw  _ Him _ in the mirror at some points.

When I couldn’t think of anything else to work on for Janus and there was nothing else to clean or fix in the room, I resorted to my least favorite thing: the internet. I was scrolling mindlessly through popular platforms while wondering how anyone could actually find pleasure in it. Every post I came across was so shallow and boring… Why had our generation decided that the age of the internet was the best path for us? Clearly, they never know what they’re talking about most the time, and we’re too caught up in cute dog videos to educate ourselves on things that actually matter. But, despite my pure hatred for the ways of my generation and their use of the internet, it kept my mind off of other things, which was the ultimate goal of the day after leaving work early.

While stalking Erika’s friends’ Instagram pages, I realized that nearly everything they posted had to do with two very boring things: One, daily inspirational quotes; two, pictures of all of them at The Black Mask Club. Sometimes there were other pictures thrown in there, like for Phebe, she had pictures of her on nature hikes, but, of course, with god awful stolen quotes about “being your best self”. But for the most part, Erika’s friend group seemed quite obsessed with this Black Mask Club, or rather the owner of the club. Yet, I never once saw a picture of this very attractive bachelor they always raved about. It didn’t go unnoticed to me— in fact, it enticed me.

After digging through my things and tossing around some of the pages I had finished up for work, I found the business card Erika gave to me the day previous. The sleek black look with the gold glove on the front was no longer a meaningless statement to me, rather a clue to a mystery I was set on unveiling. Who was this Roman guy and why did he catch everyone’s attention the way he did? More importantly, who was he really? Like I’ve told you before, no one’s ever really themselves… So who was Roman really under the mask he had put up for Erika and her friends? In the off chance I found out more about him when I would visit this Black Mask Club, what would I learn about the real him? While I shouldn’t have cared as much as I did,  _ He _ was slowly starting to reappear on my bed, staring at me through the mirror on my desk.

I looked up at  _ Him _ and smiled, a sign that I had the upper hand in that moment, “I’ll get rid of you one way or another.” The card flew onto the bed after I flicked it in  _ His _ direction. Because he was hardly formed before me, he couldn’t say or do anything.  _ He  _ was stuck like a man in a picture lost in time.

_ He _ disappeared as I walked to the closet and sifted through the clothes I had. While I had arrived in Gotham with very few things, I somehow had enough sense in me before moving to grab a single dress. It wasn’t the nicest dress I had ever owned, but it would do for a dark night club where I wanted to remain fairly unnoticed. I pulled the dress out of the closet and got changed, then I stared at myself in the mirror for a few minutes.

_ He  _ would’ve liked this dress…  _ He _ would’ve said something disgusting about how I looked in it. But  _ He  _ wasn’t there in that moment to torment me— and I certainly wouldn’t let  _ Him _ . I looked beautiful—  _ sexy _ , even. I just had to remember the side of me that didn’t give a damn about anything and used my  _ girls _ to get what I wanted. That was the only thing  _ He  _ had ever taught me that was worth anything. Looking the way I did was a curse when it came to  _ Him _ , but was a gift when I wanted to get something. And at The Black Mask Club, I wanted answers. I was sure that in a dress like mine, I’d get them… but I just had to be  _ me _ again. No more of this sappy, emotional wreck woman I had become in the past twenty-four hours or so. The homeless man who had jumped me, Richard, and Cal all meant nothing. I was sexy and I was worth it. That was who I really was.

On my walk through Gotham City to The Black Mask Club downtown, a few men catcalled me, which I only rolled my eyes to. Meanwhile, I tried not to look at my reflection in the windows that I would pass, because every time I did, I saw  _ Him _ standing behind me or walking alongside me. As long as I kept my head down and my mind busy with repeating the alphabet over and over again like a crazy person,  _ He _ didn’t actively bother me.

From a block away, I could hear the music of The Black Mask Club and feel the bass shaking the street. As I approached, I caught my first glimpse of it. The Black Mask Club wasn’t a small or humble place, but it didn’t stick out like a sore thumb, either. The building itself was an old warehouse building that had been converted into a two floor nightclub. From the outside, all I could see were the windows on the top floor and the entryway door on the ground floor. There was no signage or any notable uniqueness to the building that told the world what kind of business was inside, yet there were bouncers and a line waiting outside. Seeing as it was early in the evening, the sun still out and everything, the line to get in wasn’t long, but I wasn’t about to waste more time than needed. Really, I was just planning on getting a few drinks— perhaps with the money Richard had given me?— and figure out a few things about this Roman character before leaving. I didn’t need to wait in a line for that. Besides, Erika said that the card in my hand was some kind of key… Well, keys don’t exactly require that you to wait in line… So…

I crossed the street and approached the bouncer, feeling a bit of my old self returning. I smiled, “Hi…” I cooed with my pitchy valley girl voice. “I’m totally new in town and my friend Erika gave me this card here,” I waved the key in front of the bounder’s face, “but I’m not sure where I’m supposed to go. She says she’s waiting for me and everything—”

Unable to listen to my god awful voice anymore, the bouncer accepted the key as enough evidence to let me in. He moved the black velvet rope in front of the door for me and nodded his head towards the door, a sign for me to enter. I thanked him loudly, ignoring the complaints of those in line, and walked into The Black Mask Club for the first time.

Immediately, with the first step I took, I felt all of my troubles wash away. I know that’s a stupid cliché, but it was true. Everything about The Black Mask Club intoxicated me. The red lights, the dark corners, the full bar, and the stage up front for live music. The walls were red and gold, shining décor everywhere to bring the club to life. Large booths, big enough to fit myself and all of Erika’s friend group, lined the walls, surrounding the couches and cocktail tables in the middle— yet, there was still enough room for people to jump and dance if they chose. The entire club was a perfect example of a good balance between elegant and classy to vibrant and fun.

“Holy shit…” I whispered.

I could finally understand why Erika and her friends were so obsessed with The Black Mask Club. Anyone could go to the club for any reason. You want to just come in and have a few drinks? Perfect place. You want to listen to some live music and have a drink or two? Perfect place. You want somewhere to just hang with your friends for the night? Perfect place. You want somewhere to party and get black out drunk? Perfect place.

“What can I do ya for?” the bartender asked after I strided over. Inside the club, it was still quiet, with only one of the booths at the front filled, and two of the seats at the bar filled. Well, three, now.

I set my purse down on the bar and took a seat, “A mojito with extra mint, please.”

The bartender nodded. I know, mojitos are one of the worst things you can order at a bar because they’re just so much of a hassle for the bartenders, but it was my favorite and signature drink. Everyone back home knew that the mojito with extra mint was my thing. While it was a funny joke between old friends, it was still special to me.  _ It’s just a fucking drink, Mor. _ I know that.

“You new in town?” the bartender asked as he muddled the drink in front of me.

“How could you tell?”

“You don’t look too comfortable there.”

“That obvious, huh?”

He smiled. “New resident or just stopping by the city for something?”

“I just moved here. Small town to big city kind of girl.”

“Well, we have that in common.” I raised a brow. “Just a boy from a small town in Kentucky who had been looking for a better life. Ended up here… so… I’m not quite sure if I have succeeded yet or not.”

After the drink was ready, I traded it for what money I had in my purse. I took a sip and looked around the nearly empty club. “When does it start to get crazy in here normally?”

“Whenever the boss comes in. He brings the crowds most nights.”

“What’s he like—”

“—Marco—” he cut me off. His cheeks turned red when he realized he had interrupted an important question. Trying to play it cool, he attempted to explain himself, “My name is Marco.”

Well, at least he was looking into my eyes and not staring at my boobs. I think that was what threw me off his horny scent in the first place. But now that I had my mind wrapped around what he really wanted out of me, I could get what I wanted out of him… in time. “Morgana, but I go by Mor.”

He blushed like a little boy with a school crush, “It’s very nice to meet you, Mor.”

“Likewise, Marco.” I took another sip of my mojito to let a normal amount of time pass between us before I attempted to interrogate him again. “My friend told me about this place. She’s obsessed with the owner, but I’ve never even seen him before. What’s he like?”

Marco’s face fell, and I could tell that he was used to hearing inquiries about his boss, but he must’ve held out some sort of hope that I was different.  _ Sorry, kid. You’re just not my type. _ He started cleaning some of the wine glasses as he told me what Roman was like, “He’s very attractive, I suppose. In every sense of the word, I’m told. He’s very mysterious, yet flamboyant. He’s very smart and witty, and he insists that everything goes his way all of the time. If you ask me, he’s just a short tempered, unpleasant man. But he’s my boss, so I deal.”

I chortled, “I like you, Marco. You’re brutally honest. Not many people are.” He smiled at me again, the hope of me  _ really liking _ him returning to his young eyes. Poor kid. “Thanks for the drink,” I cheered to the air before sliding off my seat at the bar and heading to one of the empty booths. I mean, it wasn’t like there was anyone else around to occupy it. I figured that I’d stick around long enough to get a glimpse of the great and mighty Roman before sliding from the booth and taking my leave so that others could take the booth.

For about half an hour, I went through two mojitos while waiting for the amazing crowds to arrive, following Roman, like Marco had said; yet, no crowd appeared. At the top of the hour, the bouncer outside slowly started letting more people in and the music got considerably louder and more upbeat. I anticipated that I wouldn’t be waiting around much longer.

As I waited, exploring the club with my eyes, a man invited himself into my booth and sat beside me, his friend standing at his side. The man beside me was wearing a dark suede suit jacket over a red button up shirt. Even though we were inside a dark nightclub, he was wearing round red sunglasses with gold rims that settled high up on his nose in order to cover his eyes. His friend, however, was not as dressed up. His friend was wearing a patterned blue satin shirt with dark pants, but it looked like he was purposefully trying to not outshine his companion.  _ Nice thing for a wingman to do _ , I commended.

“You work for Richard Sionis, no?” the man asked. I barely nodded before he continued, “Erika told me. She’s a good friend of mine. Keeps me up to date with all the  _ hot goss _ — and, right now, the hot goss is all about you. She tells me you're Richard Sionis’s secretary. That means you keep his books and stuff, right?”

“Yeah—“

“Great. What’s your price? Name it and it’s yours.”

“I’m sorry—“

“Erika tells me you’re living in The Pixie Dust. It’s a classic halfway house in Gotham for newcomers, but it’s a total shithole. We’ll get you out of there, don’t you worry.” The man tapped his friend, “Zsasz, I want you to find the most expensive apartment money can buy that’s near Janus, so that Ms… Remind me, what’s your name?”

“Mor—“

“So that Ms. Mor, here, can get to work on time without being worried about traveling around the whole city.”

Zsasz nodded, “Sure thing, boss.”

“Okay. Now name your price.”

“I—“

“Is that really the nicest thing you own?” he asked, referring to my dress, scrunching his nose in disgust. I looked down at myself. “What am I talking about? Of course it is, otherwise you wouldn’t have worn it here. Zsasz, buy her some new clothes; something my father would like. You know the kind:  _ skimpy _ . And get her some for around the club. What’s your favorite color, baby?”

“Pur—“

“Never mind. Buy her black. Black looks really fucking good on you,” he complimented, looking me up and down. “Okay, now your turn. Sorry, I get a little over excited sometimes.”

I took in a deep breath and a thought of what the hell was going on. “I’m sorry, but who the fuck are you, who the fuck is he, and why the fuck are you buying me things right now?” I questioned angrily. Who was this man to just sit himself down next to me and start buying me like some prostitute, when I didn’t even know what he was buying me for.

The man chuckled, “You’re kidding, right?”

I shrugged, rolled my eyes, and sat back.

“Baby, I’m Roman Sionis. I own this place. This is Zsasz, he’s my good friend, but don’t you worry about him right now. I’m buying you things because you know everything about my father.”

My mouth dropped.  _ Sionis _ . I knew that Richard’s son had been disowned, just like I was, but I didn’t think I’d ever run into him. And I definitely didn’t think that he was  _ the _ Roman that Erika was obsessed with. “Why do you care who I work for?” I asked calmly.

“Because I’m going to kill him. And you’re going to help me.”

My face turned red, but I couldn’t tell if it was because I was embarrassed, shy, scared, or angry. “What?” I laughed, thinking he was joking. A man like Roman seemed to be very hyperbolic. He was probably just messing around, seeing if I would betray his father.

Roman nudged Zsasz for something, and Zsasz offered him a manilla folder. Roman placed it on the table and slid it my way. I looked at him cautiously for a moment, turning thoughts over in my head about what could possibly be in that folder. He nodded upwards, a signal for me to open the folder, like he was giving me permission or something. I slowly opened the folder, letting it stay on the table for anyone around us to see. That was, if they were even looking.

Inside of the manilla folder was a stack of printed images, laminated to last forever. The top ones were taken from the day that I went to Janus for my job interview, then they continued to get more intimate from there. Me going back to the motel in defeat, going to Sal’s for dinner, getting the callback from Janus, me going back to the motel for the night, me sleeping, my first day on the job, and so on. Every single minute of my life in Gotham had been shoved into a manilla folder that had been with this guy who wanted to kill his father—  _ my boss. _ This was preposterous. I had to get out of that club.

I started making a move around the booth with my purse, hoping to escape that way, but Zsasz blocked my path, and I froze. I looked at Roman with red cheeks, “Why me?” I whispered.

“Because you’re the only one who can help. I sent a spy in for the job, but you beat her for it. I’d understand if you want to quit at Janus now, but I’m going to go through with this, no matter what girl is my father’s secretary.” Roman scooted closer to me and took my hands in his gloved hands, “Listen, baby, you don’t have to do anything but tell us where he’s going to be and when he’s going to be vulnerable. My associates and I will handle it from there.”

“Why do you think I would help you kill an innocent man?” Listen, you and I both know that Richard was not a  _ nice _ guy, alright. But… For starters, I didn’t have any real proof of anything bad about Richard. It wasn’t a crime to look or dream. And he had yet to pressure me into actually doing anything. Did I think Richard was a creep? Yes. Did I think he deserved to die for it? God no. Only guys who touch become a problem. Like  _ Him _ and Cal.

“Is he, though?” Roman cocked his head and snapped his fingers for something else from Zsasz. Another manilla folder. My heart sank. What was in this folder? Something about  _ Him _ ? My nudes?  _ Shit. Pervert. _ He handed me this folder and I immediately opened it, completely washed over with anxiety. What I saw wasn’t as bad as I had imagined, but it was still pretty bad. “I’ve seen what you do to guys who treat you like shit. My father’s a piece of shit. If he hasn’t done something to you yet, he will eventually. And by then, it’ll be too late. This isn’t like Cal at the Pixie or Damon, the guy who jumped you on the street. My father will do much worse and will make your life hell if you go for him.”

I looked down at the pictures of me beating up the man who jumped me the night before. This Roman character went to all that trouble to find out this poor guy’s name. Why? To torture me? More importantly, how had I not noticed someone following me with a camera for nearly a week? I felt sick. “Your father… You’re telling me… He  _ hurt _ other women who worked for him?”

“Why do you think the job was open the morning after an employee of his killed herself.”

I chuckled quietly, “So no one in this shit city is good? Not a single person?” I mean, I already knew that, but I guess there must have been some small part of me that was still holding out hope. Maybe I wished that I was wrong about Richard and his patterns. It wasn’t a problem that he had been toying with me… but the girl who killed herself? Holy shit.

Roman and Zsasz waited silently for my response to their offer. For once, Roman had shut up long enough for me to think. My heart was pounding in my chest. I didn’t know if what Roman said about his father was true, but I had a feeling. Right? I mean, I saw the way Richard stared at anything that wasn’t my eyes, just like Cal. But I never led on Richard. At least not intentionally. And Richard was married with kids. Why did he always have his eyes on his secretary when he had a perfectly good wife at home?

“I need a shot,” I finally said.

Zsasz’s lips curled into a smile, “I like this girl’s thinking, boss.” He got up and raced to the bar to get me not one, not two, but three shots. Sure, that would make the questions go away. 

Once Zsasz returned with my drinks, he hurried back to the bar to collect a drink for Roman. By the time he came back, I had already downed two of the shots. Roman watched me intently, an arm draped over the couch as he lounged, his legs crossed and stretched under the table. Every time I pinched my face at the taste of the strong alcohol hitting my tongue, he’d smile at me like he found me amusing.

When I picked up the last shot I had, Roman stopped me. “To making the right decision— Whatever that may be,” he cheered, raising his glass up and over the table. I warily took my shot and clinked the bottom of it with the side of his glass. We both drank while watching each other, and I didn’t even flinch. “Zsasz, bring us more shots,” Roman demanded.

_ Great _ . That would help put my mind at ease, right?

Somehow, I just didn’t quite believe that any more after the seventh shot. I don’t know, something about the intense pain of knocking back Everclear left me completely out of control and in a state which could not even be referred to as remotely intelligent. I went out like a shitty lightbulb, and I was about 95% sure there was a significant dent in the floor now for it. To be fair, though, I did end up accomplishing my main goal: the questions stopped after I lost consciousness.  _ Oh, well. _


	7. Devil With My Phone Number

Someone must have driven or carried me back to The Pixie Dust after I passed out at Roman Sionis’s club, because when I woke up in the morning, I was back in my room, wearing just a t-shirt and panties. I jolted upright and covered myself by tucking in my knees and pulling my shirt over myself entirely. I checked my surroundings rapidly, worried that I was still amongst the company of whomever had brought me back. But there was no one but me and my reflection in the mirror on the desk.

I slowly unfolded my body and stretched across the bed to reach for my phone on the bedside table. Had Roman brought me back and changed me? Not likely. He didn’t seem like the kind of guy to actually go about doing things himself, he had people for everything. Like Zsasz. Zsasz was the loyal type to do anything Roman asked of him. So, the question was, did that include  _ this _ ?

“Fucking fuck— shit, fuck—” I jumped out of bed when I saw the time on my phone, completely ignoring any and all notifications I had. Thirty minutes to get to work. “Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck…”

I kept muttering a plethora of curse words while I ran around my room like a mad person trying to get ready. I threw on the first thing I found laying around, grabbed my things, and slipped on my shoes as I jumped on one foot at a time through the door. As I raced through the hall, I threw my hair into the messiest half ponytail I could without thinking twice. My purse bounced against my side as I ran like a fucking athlete through the streets of Gotham City, racing my way to Sal’s. That morning, there was no time to stop and talk with Sal, or even wait for breakfast. I know, it was a shame,  _ but  _ I couldn’t be late, not after taking the afternoon off to go fucking clubbing. 

Once I got to Janus, I hoped and prayed while in the elevator that Richard hadn’t beat me to the office. I wasn’t yet late, but I  _ really _ didn’t want to see him first thing in the morning after talking to his psychotic son all night. Like, how would that conversation even go?  _ Good morning, Richard. Here’s your coffee. Also, your son wants to kill you. Okay, let me know if you need anything! _

While stuck in the elevator, my phone buzzed. I juggled around the coffees in my hands so that I could see who had texted me, just to ensure that it wasn’t Erika or Richard asking where I was or some ungodly thing like that. But what I saw only confused me. Someone had put their name in my phone as “The Devil” and texted me: “Don’t forget about our deal.”

_ I’m sorry— what the fuck? _

I texted back, asking who this was and how they had my number. As if it wasn’t already obvious, it was Roman, of course; and Zsasz had apparently put his number in my phone while dropping me off at The Pixie Dust. “The Devil. Really?” I texted back.

“Zsasz thinks he’s funny.” Then, before I could respond, he texted me again, “Don’t forget about our deal.”

_ What fucking deal? I never agreed to help him!  _ And that was what I texted him, which was met with a video in response. I clicked the video and gauged quickly which floor I was passing in the elevator. The video started and I saw myself sitting in the booth with Roman at The Black Mask Club. I looked so drunk, I could barely keep my eyes open. It would also explain why the hell I didn’t remember this.

From behind the camera, Zsasz queued me to say something. I smiled and batted my eyes, “I, Morgana Taylor Wreef, of sound mind and body, hereby agree to get Roman Sionis a copy of Richard Sionis’s work schedule and—”

I clicked out of the video as the elevator dinged and opened to my floor. I stepped out and hurried to my desk before setting down the coffees and gripping my phone more firmly. “I was clearly not of ‘sound mind and body’,” I defended over text. “We made a deal. Just send me a picture of the fucking schedule for this week.” I dropped my phone in my purse and picked up the coffees again.

Learning my lesson from past mistakes, I knocked on Richard’s office door this time before entering. He wasn’t inside, which was a relief. After setting down his coffee on his desk, I opened up my bag and started setting up the papers I had taken home for work the day previous. Once his office was set up for the day, I took my things to my desk. Richard’s schedule was just sitting there, like it knew it had a further purpose to serve in the greater scheme of things. Like it knew it meant more than just what time Richard’s lunch meetings were.

“Shit…” I muttered under my breath, knowing I really had no other choice. Roman had really caught me in a web. “Fucking hell, Roman.” I rolled my eyes and took a picture of the current week with my phone. Shortly after I took a picture of the schedule and sent it to Roman, the elevator dinged. Richard stepped out with a black eye.

“Good morning, Ms. Wreef,” he smiled as he approached. I wanted to say something about his black eye, however, I only waved a hello to him. “Erika informed me you left early yesterday. Said something about how you were feeling a little under the weather? I thought you said everything was alright.”

“Everything’s fine… I just had some…  _ lady _ problems,” I lied. Mentioning anything about a woman’s body always made men feel uncomfortable, and always gave them a reason to leave the conversation alone. No more prying questions.

Richard cleared his throat, uncomfortable with my answer, and straightened his posture. He apologized for prying too far, then quickly made his leave into his office. I watched him through the windows that separated us as he noticed the papers I had left on his desk. He smiled up at me and tapped the stack of work, a silent appreciation. I nodded back with a smile before spinning around in my chair.

My phone buzzed on the desk and I picked it up quickly, anticipating that it was a text from Roman Sionis. I was very correct. “Good girl,” he texted.

“Pig,” I responded.

With no immediate response from Roman, I put my phone to the side. On his way in, Richard hadn’t given me any word to occupy myself with— probably because he thought I hadn’t finished my work from the day previous— so I was left to keep myself entertained for the morning. While I mostly spent my time trying to research anything I could about Roman Sionis, I kept one eye on my phone, anxiously awaiting his next text. I wondered for a moment what Richard would do if he found out I was in cahoots with his son. Would he fire me? Maybe then I’d be free of that bullshit promise I made to Roman while black out drunk. I couldn’t actually believe he used that against me. But it wasn’t like I could take it to court…

Yet, as though it were like Roman were watching me— which he probably was— he didn’t send me another text. It shot my anxiety. However,  _ He _ never reappeared. Ever since I had entered The Black Mask Club,  _ He _ had left me alone. Maybe I drank more than I should’ve.

Then, like clockwork, Erika appeared around the corner with a bright smile on her face. She was speeding down the hallway, eager to talk to me about something. I wasn’t exactly thrilled to see her so early in the morning, especially on a hangover.

Erika leaned over my desk and brought her face extremely close to mine, “Why didn’t you tell me you were going to The Black Mask Club?!” she exclaimed in a whisper so that our boss wouldn’t hear from the office behind me.

“Why didn’t you tell me you were talking to Roman about me?” I bit back.

She snickered, “He had been asking about everyone who applied for your position, then he wanted to know more about you once you were hired. I figured he thought you were hot or something… So did you guys  _ talk _ ?” she wiggled her eyebrows. I nodded, but not answering it the way she had meant. “Isn’t he a hunk?”

“Ugh, Erika,  _ no _ . We just talked and had a few drinks. I don’t plan on ever seeing him again.”

“Good luck with that.”

I raised a brow, “What do you mean?”

“I mean, when Roman Sionis wants to speak or talk to you, he will. He always gets what he wants. If he doesn’t, he gets a little crazy… You probably put that together yourself last night, though, didn’t you?”

“Please… stop insinuating that we slept together…” I begged. “I don’t see him like that.”

“Uh huh,” she hummed, “sure.” I rolled my eyes playfully. “Are you going to sit with us again today at lunch?”

I shrugged, “I was actually wondering if I could head out for lunch… I didn’t bring one again.” Truth was, I was just looking for an excuse to not sit with her friends and hear them beg me for the entire lunch hour to hear stories about my experience at The Black Mask Club. There wasn’t much to tell them, though, besides the fact that Roman was a total psychopath.

“Sure thing. Just be sure to run it by Mr. Sionis first. He doesn’t usually like his secretaries leaving for the hour. But if he says yes, then be my guest.”

“Thank you, Erika.”

“No problem, sister. I’ll see you around, okay? I expect to hear more about your time at The Black Mask Club later, got it?” she laughed.

I flashed a fake smile for her sake and nodded.  _ Please just go away _ , I silently begged. My plea was quickly realized, thankfully. Erika tapped the desk like a drum a few times before bidding me a goodbye and walking off.

Sal’s was a nice break from all of the shit transpiring in my life. I couldn’t be bothered by the thought of my creepy boss, or the creepy guy who ran the motel I was staying at, or the insane guy who owned the nightclub down the street. Holy shit, my life was literally falling apart. Any story I could possibly tell to anyone about what had happened to me over the past week would land me in Arkham Asylum. But in Sal’s, I didn’t have to worry about anything.

Rather than talk about myself, I asked Sal about his family and how business was doing. He bragged that his kids were doing well in school, and his wife had been promoted at work. Then, while he didn’t directly say that business wasn’t doing well, he tried to cover the idea with a joke about how I was keeping him in business.

While Sal cooked away at the grill and tried to maintain some more small talk with me, my phone buzzed again, and I immediately reached for it, knowing full well that it was Roman. Right, I was.

“Like I said, black looks good on you,” he texted after attaching an image of me walking to Sal’s for lunch. My eyes raced to the street outside, searching through the crowds for a camera pointed my way… but there was nothing. Whomever he had following me was good at hiding.

I texted him back: “No one asked you.” He started texting me back, but I beat him to the punch, “Leave me alone,” and his text bubble disappeared.


	8. Deal With the Devil

For the first hour, I think, I just stood across the street, staring at it… The Black Mask Club. It was such a beautiful and lively place that no one would ever stop to think that it was owned by a total psychopath. No one would ever stop to think that he would ask some random girl to help him kill his father. It just looked like a place where people could go to have fun with their friends for the night. That was what it was supposed to be for me. But it turned into something worse. It turned into my nightmare.

But why did I want to go back so badly?

I could just turn around, walk away, and never see Roman or The Black Mask Club again. He would understand and find another girl to do his bidding, someone who was just as crazy as him…  _ Crazy _ . What was crazy was me standing there, actually thinking about seeing him again. In fact, it was stupid. Richard wasn’t a good guy, I knew that, but I didn’t have any proof of anything Roman said. Yeah, the guy creeped on me. But assaulting women? He hadn’t even laid a finger on me yet. There was no way. But Roman would know. Roman would have proof. Roman could put my mind at ease. Roman could help me— “No, Mor. No.” Those days were behind me. “New life, remember?”

But it was right there. Just across the road. It was like my hands were already on the door. I was sure I wouldn’t have any problems getting in, too. Roman was likely expecting me, which meant no waiting in line, and no talking to the bouncer. It wouldn’t hurt to just walk in, take another look, then walk out. Right?  _ Crazy _ . “I’m not fucking crazy,” I whispered to myself, but that was crazy in itself.  _ Shit _ . Roman was getting in my head. I just needed to tell him off. But what were the odds that would even work? He could easily have me killed because I knew his not-so-little and illegal plan. That was reason enough to not go in.  _ Yes. No going in. Smart. _

My feet had other ideas, I guess. One minute I was staring at the club, the next I was walking in. What the hell was I thinking? Though, thankfully, Roman and Zsasz were nowhere to be found. Maybe they were out for the night, doing their own thing. That was good. It meant I could leave and have a clear conscience about it.

But the bartender caught me before I could leave. “Mor?” he asked.

I stopped in my tracks and looked at him with a guilty expression, “Hey, Marco.”

“Didn’t think I’d see you back here so soon.”

I laughed, “Me neither.”

“You looking for Roman?”

“God, no. Please don’t tell him I was ever here.”

“Your secret’s safe with me.”

I smiled and took a seat at the bar as he dried the inside of a wine glass with a fist. He made me my regular, a mojito with extra mint, and set it before me without so much as a word about the tab or cost. I knew that I’d eventually have to pay him back, even though it was meant to be a kind offer. I couldn’t afford to owe people things. Especially at the club. If Roman found out, he could link the debt to himself and make me do his bidding. I couldn’t let that happen.

“Don’t tell anyone I’m here?” I pleaded as I grabbed the glass. Marco nodded and I took my drink to a dark booth in the corner where couples normally went to hook up. It was the darkest place in the entire club, like Roman had designed it that way. But it would do until I found a reason to leave. Because that was what I wanted, right? A reason to leave. A reason to go be normal.

The club’s attention turned as two men entered through the back room. Roman and Zsasz, the celebrities of the night. Everyone wanted to hang out with them, except for me, and that was okay. All I wanted to do was listen in for a bit, maybe watch Roman to get a sense of who he really was, then leave. I wasn’t planning on bothering anyone.

Roman insisted that he and his equally insane henchman be left alone in order to talk about business, and the crowd around their booth immediately dispersed without a single question. The conversation that transpired afterwards seemed tense, like Roman and Zsasz had been arguing all day.

While they didn’t name drop me specifically, I could tell that the woman they were arguing about was me… More specifically, what to do about me. It seemed I had left an impression on Roman, so much that he seemed to be interested in learning more about me, like I wanted to learn more about him. Meanwhile, Zsasz was less than impressed. It unsettled him that he didn’t know exactly where I stood in their  _ situation _ .

“Come on, boss… We’re sitting here with our balls out. If she tells anyone—”

“She won’t, Zsasz, you’re just being paranoid.”

“It’s my job to be paranoid because you always act like everything’s going to be okay. I gotta look out for you, yeah? And if it means silencing the pip squeak before she can sing her little rat song, then I will.”

Oh, so now I was a threat which needed to be eliminated. What happened to Roman being my partner in all of this when I chose to help him? “She won't,” Roman defended.  _ There it is. _ “Your expertise will not be required for her.” It was nice to hear someone in this stupid city sticking up for me, even if it was Roman Sionis. But Roman seemed off-put by the idea of Zsasz’s violent proposal, and it didn’t go unnoticed by me. Despite his nerves, Roman maintained a fair level of suave and non-chalantness. Nothing seemed to visibly faze him, even the idea of some random girl going to the cops and exposing him. Probably because he owned the police, or at the very least  _ some  _ of the police.

To the naked eye, anyone would think that Roman Sionis was just some innocent club owner with good fashion taste and a hunger to fuck anything with a pulse, but under all of that facade was a ruthless man who was willing to kill to get whatever he wanted. And after seeing what I did to Damon and Cal, did he see me the same way? Under my sweet and sexy facade, did he notice the darkness I had stirring inside me? The real question, though, was, would he kill me to see to his father’s death? Perhaps. 

“Why don’t you ask her about it yourself next time you see her, Zsasz,” Roman offered.

My eyes lifted from the table when I saw Marco approaching, which was odd. Marco wasn’t supposed to come out from behind the bar, especially when it was as busy as it was. In his hand he was carrying another mojito I certainly did not order, and I told him that before he could even set it down. “Actually, he sent it over,” Marco pointed and I turned. My face fell flat when I saw Roman waving me over.  _ Shit _ . “I think he knows you’re here,” Marco joked.  _ Yeah, no shit, Sherlock. Fuck. Okay, Mor, just play it cool. You did everything he asked… What’s the worst that can happen? _

I took the drink from Marco and headed over to Roman and Zsasz’s booth. As I approached, Roman whispered an order to his friend that sent him off, leaving it to be just me and Roman in the booth.  _ Great _ . 

“Back so soon, Ms. Mor?” Roman smiled, throwing his arm over the side of the booth as I sat beside him. “What brought you back?”

His question caught me off guard. Not because I didn’t expect him to interrogate me, or notice that I had returned in the first place, but because I actually didn’t know the answer. I didn’t know what to tell him. Had I come back for answers? Yes. Had I come back for closure? Sure. Had I come back to see him?  _ Shut up. _

Roman took notice of my silence, which to him was odd, considering since the last time we spoke, I was all talk. Even through texting, I always had something snarky to say to him. But at that moment, I was left speechless. “What’s on your mind?” he asked with mild concern.

“May I ask you something, Roman?” He nodded. “What are you going to do to your father?”

Zsasz reapproached with a drink for Roman after I had asked my question. He caught the last half of it, but he didn’t say a single word as he sat down silently across from us.

“Kill him, obviously,” Roman laughed in my face like I was the dumbest person in the club. I told him that wasn’t what I meant. There was no way he was going to just shoot his father in the head and move on. No. Roman was more sadistic than that, I felt. “Do you really want to know?” he asked, searching my eyes for the truth. Were his eyes always that bright? How had I never noticed? But I answered his question with a silent nod. “I’m going to drag him into the trunk of my car by the collar of his shirt, choking him. I’m going to slam the trunk shut on him, take him to the warehouse on the docks, tape him up and hang him from meat hooks like the animal he is. I’m going to make the rest of his life a living hell until I eventually put a knife in his stomach—” he put a finger at my belly button, “—and drag it up until his guts spill out—” he dragged his finger up until he hit the valley between my breasts. I felt like I couldn’t move. “He won’t die immediately, but Zsasz will be able to find his heart and tear it out like Richard tore my heart out all those years ago when he disowned me.” Roman removed his touch from my body and I felt myself longing for him to put a finger on me again. How had my body betrayed me this way? Fuck. “Is that what you wanted to hear?”

I looked at him, dumbfounded. Yes, it was what I asked for, but it was so much more than I had anticipated. He really was a monster. But the worst part of it was… I didn’t blame him… In fact, I thought it wasn’t enough after hearing what Richard had done to his other secretaries. I felt insane. Was this something that had been bubbling in me since I was born or since I moved to Gotham? Did this city really affect the mind that much? Was that why there were so many people like Roman and the Joker? Would I be next?

“Say something,” he pleaded, like he cared what I thought about him. The silence between us made him very uncomfortable, I could see it. He liked being in control of things, but for some reason he couldn’t control me, and he definetely didn’t fucking like that. But I intrigued him enough that he never did anything bad to me. He just watched me with curiosity.

I swallowed hard and looked into his piercing blue eyes, “I want in.” Was I in a trance? Had his eyes sent me down a path where I couldn’t distinguish up from down, right from wrong? What the hell was I saying:  _ I want in _ . In on what? Pulling Richard along the shit filled streets of Gotham? Yes. Gutting Richard open like fish? Yes. Ripping his heart out because of everything he did to Roman? Fuck. Why did I care? Was it because I empathized with him? God, tell me it wasn’t that.

“It’s worse,”  _ He _ chuckled in my ear.  _ Fuck off _ , I told  _ Him _ . “You know what it is.”

“Shut up!” I hit my fist on the table, and Roman  _ jumped _ . Ha. Roman Sionis, jumping in his seat, scared by a poor girl hitting her hand on the table.

Roman and Zsasz shared a glance. Then they both smiled. Smiled? What the fuck? Didn’t they just see me loose another fucking bolt in my head? Didn’t they literally just see me become unhinged? And they were smiling?

Roman took my sore hand in his gloved hands like he always did when he wanted my attention, “I can’t cut you in, baby.”

“You have to.”

“Why?”

“Because I’ll tell the cops it was you who killed him after they find his body on the docks, unless you let me in on it.”

“I’ve created a little monster, Zsasz,” Roman laughed, clapping his hands together. “You know, it’s really fucking hot when you do that. Don’t you agree, Zsasz?”

“Oh, yeah, boss.”

I looked between them, still having received no definitive answer from Roman about having a part in his little plan with Richard. I desperately wanted an answer from him before I could come to my senses and change my mind entirely. Thankfully, they noticed me patiently waiting on them while they admired me.

“I knew there was something different about you,” Roman twisted a curl of my blonde hair around his finger. I didn’t flinch away or stop him once. “Let’s make a deal. If you stay the night— to talk, of course— I’ll consider cutting you in. How does that sound?” I stared at him blankly. Why did he want me to stay with him? He should have known that there was no way in hell I’d ever sleep with him. “Just talking, I swear it. I need to know more about you before I can just give you a VIP invitation to the murder of my father.”

I shifted closer to Roman, and both of the men took notice, “You don’t think I can handle it?” I laid a palm on his arm to catch him off guard and maybe change his mind with a few more words.

“Course not, baby. But I need to know I can trust you first. Does that make sense, darling?” He tucked my hair behind my ear, and out of the corner of my eye, I saw Zsasz roll his eyes. “Stay the night. Please.”

If I was in for a penny, I was in for a pound, right? If I really wanted to see Richard suffer, then I had to play by Roman’s rules. Besides, I was a big girl, and I could handle a man like Roman. So I said, “Deal,” and the whole night changed.

The minute the word left my mouth, Roman gestured to Zsasz, and things sped into action. Zsasz stood, cut the music, and they started kicking everyone out of the club. Some part of me felt guilty that I had just ruined everyone’s night at the club, but the larger part of me was so fascinated by the power Roman held with just one look. He could control a whole room without even having to utter a syllable. It was magnificent. And in some shameful way, it… attracted me.

I shivered and prepared for the night alone with Roman Sionis.


	9. Part Two

Demons Inside Us Both. A Roman Sionis Fanfiction Novel.

Roman Sionis x Morgana “Mor” Wreef (OC).

Part Two. Falling for the Devil.

Six Chapters. Warnings of descriptive violence, murder, harassment, and sex.


	10. What the Hell

A few minutes after Zsasz cleared the club, a girl walked in, and no one batted an eye. Roman and Zsasz paid no attention to her, but my gaze followed her as she approached the stage up front and settled in front of the microphone. Roman didn’t say anything to me, he just sat and watched me as I watched the girl.

She started singing just as Roman’s knee brushed against my thigh. He was teasing me and testing the waters between us, and it took everything in me to not give him the satisfaction of gaining any reaction from me. I made a promise to myself that I wouldn’t sleep with Roman, only use him to get what I wanted… But it was gaining to be a near impossible task with the way he looked at me and the way he touched me. I wondered if this was his move with every girl he wanted to woo. Did he usually clear the club, have someone come into the club to sing romantic songs live, then get whatever girl he wanted into bed? It was likely.

But I had to remember why I had gone back to The Black Mask Club in the first place. I had returned with the intent of gaining a spot in Roman’s plan to take down his father, Richard Sionis. And while I had already made my offer, I had to play along to Roman’s game just a little longer before he would accept me. I needed more answers. I needed the truth about him and his father. Why did Roman want Richard dead so badly? Why had Richard disowned him in the first place? Only Roman had the answers. If he wanted me to stay and talk, then that was what I was going to do. 

“You say your father hurt people… Did he hurt you?” I inquired, turning back to him. Really I was asking:  _ Did your family hurt you like mine hurt me?  _ Perhaps I was one of the only people in Roman’s life who could understand that.

Roman shifted uncomfortably. I got it. I didn’t like talking about my family either, but if we were going to kill Richard, I needed more than just hearsay of assault. “You know he did,” Roman whispered. “You, of all people, would know.”

_ I do. _

Roman lifted his arm from the booth behind me. His gloved hands pushed his dark jacket off of his shoulders before slowly undoing the top few buttons of his shirt. I wondered if we were on the same page about what was going to happen, then I realized what he was trying to show me.

I outstretched my arm, nearly touching his bare chest, before I stopped myself. We stared into each other’s eyes and I silently asked if I could touch him. He nodded slowly, taking my wrist and pulling it towards him. I gasped slightly as my fingertips ran over a cigarette burn that had formed into an old scar that would never fade. Roman’s breath shuddered as I slowly ran my fingers to his left peck where he had knife cuts, like the ones Zsasz had on his face.

Roman shook off my touch politely and started buttoning up his shirt again, “So you see now that he’s not so innocent.”

“I’m so sorry…” I whispered.

“It was a long time ago, but I’m the kind of man who doesn’t forget and doesn’t forgive. I need my father to know all the pain he put me through.”

The woman on the stage continued to sing, and we both watched her in silence. Minutes seemed to pass and yet neither of us spoke a word to one another. We seemed comfortable with each other’s silence, and that was okay. I needed to settle with what Roman had just shown me, and I definitely needed to shake the feeling it riled up in me. The thought of Richard abusing his children made my blood boil. I should have known something was wrong when he came into work with a black eye. Maybe his wife had finally given him a taste of his own medicine. I prayed that it was true.

“How about this?” Roman finally spoke, breaking our silence. “You asked me a question, so I get to ask you one. Then, we continue to do so.” Why did he want to talk to me so bad? What made me so special in his eyes? I agreed to his terms, returning my full attention to him once more. “Why did your family disown you?”

_ So, the tough questions right out of the gate. Touché, Mr. Sionis.  _ “Because I admitted something that scared them…” That was an answer enough, and I didn’t want to talk about it anymore. This wasn’t like anything we had talked about together.  _ He  _ was something I never told anyone about, but I took a chance with my family... I learned my lesson there. So  _ He _ was now a forbidden topic. “Where’s your mother?” I asked. I knew that Richard’s current wife was not Roman’s mother, so I wanted to know the truth. Had she escaped her husband or had—

“Dead,” he answered without wasting a moment, like he had anticipated my question. “Why do you want to be a part of my father’s death, Ms. Wreef?”

My eyes trailed back down to his chest, remembering the scars Roman had shown me. Richard had left marks on his son, just like  _ He _ left marks on me. Perhaps that was part of why I empathized with Roman… Yet, I couldn’t tell him that outright, “Because he hurt people. He hurt the women who worked for him. He wants to hurt me.” Roman saw through my half-truth, yet he held his tongue for I hadn’t yet I asked him a question, and there were rules to our little game. “How many women did he hurt?”

“Thirteen.”

I saw red suddenly.  _ Thirteen girls… And I would have been fourteen… Thirteen innocent girls who didn’t know any better. Thirteen girls who didn’t have anyone to stick up for them. Thirteen. Richard is just as bad as Him, if not worse. Monsters. That’s what they are. Terrible monsters. I stopped Him, so I’ll stop Richard, too. Thirteen… Holy shit… _

“How do you feel about that?” Roman inquired after seeing my reaction. He wanted me to admit what he already knew. He wanted to hear me say what I couldn’t say to anyone else.

“It makes me angry.” _Obviously_. But I couldn’t admit any more than that out loud or I’d storm my way to the Sionis mansion and slit Richard’s throat myself without a second thought. “Was he going to do the same to me?”

Roman stiffened and adjusted his jacket. I had finally asked a question which unnerved him. Interesting. “That’s for you to discover.”

“What do you mean?”

“Nuh uh, I didn’t ask my question first,” he smirked. I rolled my eyes and waited for him to think up a question. “What do you think of her singing?” he asked, referencing the girl on the stage. She continued to sing, but she looked up at us when she realized that we were talking about her.

“What does that have to do with—” I began, but Roman sent me a look that said: answer first, question after. “I think she’s very talented.”

Roman smiled and agreed, “I call her my little songbird.” I opened my mouth to ask my question, but he put his hand up as a sign for me to wait. “Dinah,” he called to the girl. She stopped singing. “Come here.”

Dinah stood from her seat in front of the microphone and she approached our booth, “Yes?”

“My guest, Mor Wreef, was just complimenting your singing. What do you have to say?”

Dinah and I shared a glance before she forced out a thank you to please Roman.

“What’s your favorite song, Mor?”

Baffled, I looked at Roman before answering his question quietly. Had we moved on from our little game already? The night was still fairly young, and there were still plenty of hours for us to fill with discussion. Had he gotten bored of me already? Did he regret clearing his club for me yet? Roman, though, didn’t seem to notice my self-consciousness about my presence as he continued to compliment my music taste before sending Dinah back to the microphone on the stage to sing my favorite song for me.

I turned back to Roman, eager to continue our conversation about Richard. “What did you mean when you said I would have to discover Richard’s intentions for myself?”

Roman kept his eyes on Dinah as he answered quietly, still listening to her beautiful voice, “You’ve convinced me.”  _ Already? _ I thought.  _ How? _ “Granted, I would still love to speak with you, if that’s alright. But I’ve decided to let you in.”

“Why?”

“Because how else are we going to grab him? You would be a valuable inside asset to have.”  _ Oh _ . “Does this unsettle you?”

I shook my head, “No. I just… I don’t understand what it is you want me to do. I’ve already given you his schedule.”

Roman nodded, “Yes, you did. And two days from now, Richard Sionis will be headed to a lunch meeting at Shu de Fla with Mr. Keo at eleven o’clock in the morning. Their lunch is planned to continue until nearly three o’clock. Do you know who Mr. Keo is, Mor?” I shook my head and he chuckled at my near innocence. “Mr. Keo is a dangerous man, Mor. He and my father have been in business together since before the formation of Janus Corporation. Mr. Keo is the reason I have been disgraced by my family.” I raised a brow, intrigued by the story he had yet to tell. “When I was still working with my father, I was the one who would meet with Mr. Keo about his…  _ operations _ … After I met Mr. Zsasz, I decided to build my own dynasty here in Gotham with Mr. Keo’s help, but he betrayed me and told my father before I had the chance to explain myself. Convinced that I was planning to soon undermine him and take everything from him, my father kicked me to the curb. 

This meeting that they will be having in two days’ time is the perfect moment to take my father. However, in order for things to go as Zsasz and I have planned on the docks, our execution of my father’s kidnapping needs to be perfect. There is no room for any errors. Do you understand me?” I nodded. “Good. I’ve put lots of thought into it, especially after you told me off over text earlier today, and in order to keep everyone’s nose out of my business, it would benefit myself to have you on my side. If anyone were to come snooping, it would help me to sleep at night if I knew that I could rely on you to keep the truth to yourself. As it so happens, though, I have something you want— a part in the plan— and I’m willing to give it to you in exchange for your confidence. What do you think?”

I bit my lip and watched his face wrinkle up again. “What’s the plan?”

He smiled with a toothy grin and I smiled back. “Zsasz and I have the transportation and docks part figured out, but what do you think we should do before then? What would  _ please _ you to see happen?”

As if Zsasz could hear his name being spoken from the opposite side of the club, he poured his boss another bourbon and had Marco whip up another mojito for me, though I desperately wanted to down shots again like I had the first time I had come to The Black Mask Club. Maybe then I’d have a real excuse to admit that my head was spinning, because god forbid I tell Roman it was because of him…

Hours passed, and I hadn’t even noticed. At some point, Dinah and Marco left once their normal shifts at the club would’ve ended, anyhow. Zsasz had decided to lay down in one of the booths with a handful of peanuts and play a game to see how many he could toss up and catch in his mouth. But Roman and I didn’t pay attention to anything happening around us. The only thing I was concerned with was Roman, and how his blue eyes had trapped me in the booth with him.

Through the windows on the second floor of the nightclub, I could see that the sun was starting to rise. I couldn’t believe that the night had passed so quickly. I flicked my wrist over to look at the time, as if to convince myself that my eyes were deceiving me, but I felt my heart sink in my chest. It was already morning and I had only an hour to get back to the motel, make myself presentable looking, then head to work. The odd thing was, I didn’t want to leave Roman or The Black Mask Club, but I knew that I had to.

“What’s wrong?” Roman asked, using his index finger to lift my chin so that I was staring into his blue eyes again.

“I have to go,” I admitted.

Roman’s eyes softened, “Don’t. Just… stay here a while longer…” My eyes took in every detail of his face as we stared at each other. I took notice of the wrinkle between his eyebrows that folded together when he spotted something new about me that intrigued him, and the way his lips parted when he thought about saying something else to me before retreating into himself. But I wanted him to speak… I wanted him to tell me what he was thinking— what he was feeling.  _ Tell me what you mean _ , I begged.  _ Tell me why you want me to stay.  _ “Stay,” he repeated in a whisper, inching closer to my face. My eyes watched his lips, and I thought that he was finally going to kiss me. I know I said that I didn’t see him like that and that I was just using him. But there we were, still trapped in that booth together, after hours of laying our whole lives out in front of each other. I saw everything about him differently now.

His lips were nearly on mine when I whispered, “Okay,” back to him. My hand found the part of his thigh just above his knee to steady myself, but then we both pulled away from each other. My heart felt like it was about to jump out of my chest as we parted. “I’ll stay,” I accepted with red hot cheeks.

“I like how you smile and bite your lip when you blush,” he admitted. Roman himself blushed at his own comment, and he tried to push past it by returning to the topic of something horrible: our families. “Tell me about your family.”

I shrugged and turned back to my empty mojito glass, choosing to play with the plastic straw rather than continue to tempt myself with Roman’s alluring nature. “I’m one of four children. I’m the second oldest, just after my older brother Godfrey. My family was always close to one another, but never me. The only one who ever showed me any consideration was Godfrey, but he left the second he turned eighteen, and I was all alone. I was always left out and unloved by my parents. I remember, one time, my mother told me she wished she only had three children, and that I should find a way to remedy that myself.” Roman cringed slightly. “They were always looking for a reason to be rid of me… I knew that no matter what I did, I was on thin ice, so I was the perfect poster child and I kept mostly to myself. Then, all it took was one bad thing for me to admit, and I was out, when my siblings always had another chance. No one was in my corner in the end, and I hate all of them for that… So, now, I’ve moved out here to Gotham in the hopes of making something of myself— prove to my mother that four children is better than three… that they shouldn’t have turned their backs on me.” I looked at Roman briefly and realized I had let my words get away from me and I had overshared, “Basically, fuck my family…” I laughed, trying to lighten the mood again.

Roman’s lips curled slightly, “Fuck family,” he quietly chuckled.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered. “That was too much.”

Roman shook his head, “Not at all.”

“Then why are you being weird?”

“I’m one of three kids. I’m the oldest, and my father blames me for my mother’s death, because she was the only person he ever truly loved and she died while giving birth to me. I grew up abandoned by my father and left out by what little friends I had. I remember, one time,” he echoed my own words, “my father told me that he wished that I was never born, and that was when he burned me right here with his cigar,” he pointed over his heart. “My father was always looking for a reason to be rid of me… I knew that no matter what I did, he would never love me, so I just tried to be perfect for him. In the end, all it took was one bad thing, and I was out on my own without a second chance. So, I created my own empire in the hopes that I could make something of myself that would impress my father, but it was never enough. So, Ms. Mor, I say:  _ fuck my family _ .”

_ That’s why you were being weird _ , I thought.  _ Because we’re nearly the same. We’re both broken, lost, unloved, and misunderstood. We were both betrayed and we ever got over it… How did I find you? _

“You’re not alone in your troubles, Ms. Wreef.”

“Is this why you wanted me to stay?”

Roman’s gloved hands covered mine and we intertwined our fingers, “You comfort me. That’s why I wanted you to stay— that’s why I  _ want _ you to stay,” he corrected himself.

_ And that’s why I’ll help you, Roman Sionis. _


	11. Way Down to Hell

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Graphic descriptions of torture, murder, and death. Viewer discretion is advised.

My head felt like it was on fire when I woke up. My eyes burned against the sun coming in through the window, and my body ached like I had been frozen for weeks. That was my punishment, though, for spending over twenty four hours straight in The Black Mask Club with Roman Sionis. When I first went there, I expected to walk in and out without thinking twice, but there I was, looking for every reason to stay. And I did. But it was time to go back to work and finally set in motion everything Roman and I had planned out. The time had come to get revenge for everything Richard had done in his meek, disgusting life. 

I changed out of my clothes from the club and got into the new work clothes Roman bought me. How he had someone get me all of these things for me so fast  _ and  _ put them in my room before I got back was all beyond me. But I appreciated the gesture, even though the outfits were as skimpy as they could possibly be.

Once I looked mildly presentable, I texted Roman that I was on my way to work. He read it, but he didn’t respond; though, it didn’t offend me. I knew that he must have been nervous, and he had no reason to babysit my every move. I had proven myself to be a big girl, I wanted in on all of this, and this was what that looked like. I was to be on my own until the meet up point, if everything went according to plan. 

At work, Richard came in at about ten in the morning, three hours after I had settled down at my desk without any work to keep me busy. As I waited for him to show, I watched my phone to see if Roman would contact me, but he didn’t. Not once. I thought that maybe our deal was off and Roman had betrayed me before Richard showed up, a smile on his face like he had done nothing wrong in his life. To keep my cards close to my chest and to play it safe, I returned a smile and followed him into his office. His coffee was cold, but he didn’t mind, it seemed.

“So the only thing you have on your schedule for the day is a lunch meeting at Shu de Fla with a Mr. Keo…” I told him as he collected some files from his desk. He nodded, acknowledging my statement. “May I ask you something?”

Richard looked up from his work, “Of course.”

“Do you mind if I tag along? It would be nice to learn some more of the ropes…” I took a step forward and sat on the edge of his desk. He gulped. “I’d like to have some  _ hands on  _ experience, if you know what I mean…” I leaned forward a bit more for him, and I knew by the look in his eyes that I had him under my spell. After all of the time I had spent trying to rub off his advances, I had shocked him with how forthcoming I suddenly was.

Richard continued packing up some of his things, “I’d love that. Have the limo brought around for us and we’ll make our way to the restaurant. How does that sound?”

“Sounds great,  _ sir _ ,” I bit my lip at the title, catching his attention before marching out of his office. Richard’s eyes followed me, even watching me through the glass for a few minutes, and I could tell that he was asking himself if it was worth taking the forbidden fruit. As I called down for the limo, I spun around in my chair, barely catching Richard staring at me, just as he always had. But as Roman said, I needed to discover for myself what Richard planned on doing to me. The trap was set, and Richard had taken the bait.

Richard held the limousine door open for me like a true gentleman would, and I thanked him with a large smile that allured him. As I settled in my seat in the car and Richard hurried around to the other side, I picked up my phone and discretely texted Roman that we were on our way, just as planned. Finally, I received a message back from him asking if I was alright and which side of the car I was on. I told him that I was fine and that I was on the left side, just as we had agreed.

I quickly put my phone away as Richard sat down and told the driver to go. He smiled at me and told me he was glad that I was showing an increased interest in  _ the business _ . I told him that it was  _ my pleasure _ , and he shifted slightly. To his side, on the panel where the window controls were, there was also a button that raised the privacy screen between us and the driver. I watched Richard as he pressed it, “Hope you don’t mind,” he said. I shrugged.

We passed a few blocks while Richard and I kept to ourselves. My phone kept buzzing in my lap, but I was too scared to pick it up with Richard right there. But I could tell that Roman was getting anxious without having any response from me, and it made my heart race faster. “I’ve never been to Shu de Fla,” I admitted, trying to keep my mind off of Roman for just a little while longer until everything was in place.

Richard smiled and  _ smoothly _ put his hand on my thigh, “You’ll love it.”

My heart jumped in my chest and I ignored the taste of bile in my throat.  _ Thirteen girls. You did this to thirteen other girls, you bastard. Try me. See how it ends. _ “I’m sure I will.”

Then his hand started trailing upwards… Up and up it went until it found its way under my dress. Richard watched me for any movement or response. And then his fingers ghosted over my clit through my panties, and I jumped, but he didn’t remove his touch. Roman warned me, and he was right.  _ Monster _ , I thought of Richard before grabbing his hand forcefully and breaking it. Richard let out a second of a scream before I wrapped my hand over his mouth.

I leaned in close, “Make a sound and I break something I little more precious and more painful. Understand?” Richard nodded persistently and I pulled my hand from his mouth and released my grip on his broken hand. He whimpered and held his hand close to his chest, watching me with fear, the same way my family did.

As we approached an intersection with a frozen red light, I could see a large moving truck waiting to the right side of the intersection. As I inspected it, I could see who was at the wheel: Victor fucking Zsasz with his devilish grin and all. It was time.

I took the seat belt and carefully buckled myself in, and when the buckle snapped into place, Richard looked at me with alarm. His gaze followed mine and also saw the truck. Before we knew it, Zsasz’s truck started racing toward us, and Richard started pleading with the driver to move, but there wasn’t time. My head whiplashed against the seat as their vehicle rammed into the side of our car, tilting us on two tires for a moment. When the car resettled back on all four wheels, Zsasz backed the truck up.

I held my head, feeling the slightest bit of blood seeping from my forehead. I groaned, and so did Richard. He was certainly off much worse than I was after taking the majority of the crash on his side. From the back of the moving truck, an army emerged, and Zsasz and Roman jumped out from the front of the truck. I watched Roman move in his white suit as if he owned the world, as if nothing could stop him. I swear I would’ve pounced on him if I literally hadn’t just been in a car crash.

Zsasz went around the car to my side while Roman went to his father’s side. I watched as Roman forcefully pulled the smashed-in door open and yanked his father out by his collar, ignoring Richard’s pleas for mercy and help. Roman dragged Richard along the street as his armored and lethal army followed with their guns pointed at Richard.

When my door opened, my eyes had to adjust to the light as Zsasz turned me to face him and unbuckled my seat belt. I held his shoulders as I tried to find my balance and clear my head. “You alright?” he asked, holding me up right. I nodded. “The boss will kill me if you’re not.”

“I’m fine, Zsasz,” I spat angrily. I wasn’t angry at him, and I didn’t mean to take it out on him, but I just couldn’t believe what Richard did. I mean, I could believe it, I just wanted to find a reason to not kill him. But now I wanted to see him dead, more than anything. “Let’s just get the hell out of here.”

Zsasz helped me to my feet and we hurried to the truck. To my amazement, it actually started up, even with a totally smashed in front. It was a miracle, if you will. Then, the drive to the docks was silent between Zsasz and I, but we could hear Richard’s screaming from the back, which was probably why I was silent. It wasn’t that it upset me or made me uncomfortable, but because I  _ wanted _ to hear his suffering… and while some small part of me told me that I was insane, the rest of me was too intoxicated by the feeling of power to make me stop.

By the time we made it to the docks, someone had put duct tape over Richard’s mouth, and now his screams were muffled. We parked out front and I immediately heard the sound of the back door opening up and the army storming out one by one. I looked out the side mirror and saw Roman dragging his father inside the warehouse. Zsasz and I got out shortly after, me just following his lead like a lost puppy.

Inside, they already had Richard hanging by the skin on his shoulders on meat hooks. Of course, he had passed out from the pain and trauma. Roman was standing at a table, waiting for me and Zsasz. On the table, I saw a stack of black clothes and two duffle bags.

Roman noticed me and smiled, lifting up a black dress that he pulled from the table. I stared at it, then stared at him. “What?” I shrugged. Then I looked around and quickly realized that the dress was for me to wear. I knew that Roman liked seeing me in black dresses, but I didn’t think that this was the most appropriate setting for such attire. “Really?”

“I do things with style…” Roman laughed, waving the dress in my face. “You wanted to be apart of this, so you do it my way and put the fucking dress on.”

I looked at Zsasz for backup, but he only smiled at me. I groaned and snatched the dress from Roman, “Assholes.”

Zsasz pointed to a room which was off to the side, and I went to go change. Inside, there was no light, no mirror, nothing. Just a small room, barely big enough for me to change in. I stripped myself of my clothes and prayed that no one would walk in. As for the dress itself, it was short and tight, and my boobs…  _ Roman… _

When I walked back out, I saw that Richard was awake. Richard squirmed on the hooks, crying into his gag. There was no escape for him. Some sick, perverted side of me was glad to see him like that. It gave me an odd sense of comfort to know that he was in pain.

When Richard saw me, he froze for a moment before a realization hit him: I had played a major role in his downfall and inevitable death. I had betrayed him. It brought a smile to my face.

Roman turned to face me. He smiled and clapped his hands together. As he approached me, I could see that his eyes were dark with a lust for me and revenge. “Fuck, you look so good, baby.” I didn’t mind Roman’s wandering eyes or extreme admiration— in fact, I enjoyed it— but it was the fact that even though Richard was being tortured, he still had the audacity to stare at my breasts. But Roman didn’t let the thought linger on my mind for too long. He must’ve noticed the disgusted look on my face and knew what I wanted. I wanted Richard to fucking suffer. “Come here,” he beckoned. He led me to the table covered with every torture device imagineable and I felt a chill run up my spine. Would Roman use all of these? Would he only use the ones he deemed to be the most painful? Why did he have all of these in the first place?

“Why?” I questioned, running my fingers over the metal of an odd contraption.

“I want you to pick whatever you want and use it on my father,” he whispered. I chuckled uncomfortably and quickly removed my hand from the table. “Look at me,” he ordered, and I did. He stared into my eyes with his own blue ones and I felt at peace. I felt like he understood something about me that even I didn’t understand about myself. “You see it in me, I know you do. That scary, horrifying side of me that would make anyone else tuck tail and run… but not you… You want to know why? Because I see it in you, too. I see it right now. I see it whenever someone mentions my father.” He was so close to me. So close that I could feel his breath on my lips. “Tell me you don’t understand. Tell me there isn’t something boiling inside you, aching to be released, to be seen.”

My lip quivered as I looked back down at the table, trying to avoid his lingering eyes. Roman’s words echoed in my mind as I reconsidered the weapons before me. He was right, I couldn’t deny it, but was I ready to admit it? My mind was screaming: “No!” but my hands were already on two daggers that had been calling my name since I set eyes on them originally.

Roman snickered beside me as I picked the daggers up. It was like I was some stranger as I turned them in my hands, admiring their beauty and lethalness. Dangerous enough to kill a man if you really wanted to, but small enough to just cause some pain if you really wanted to. A perfect balance in my hands. “Roman, I—”

“It’s who you are. I’m not wrong. Just ask your uncle.”

I shot him a glare, “How did you—”

“A conversation for another time. For now…” he spun me slowly to face Richard, “we handle this fucker.” His hands left my shoulders and I felt myself longing for him again. “Zsasz,” he called, “bring me my mask!” Zsasz hurried around me, grabbing a mask from one of the duffle bags. Behind me, Roman put on his mask and encouraged me to go first, but I wasn’t sure if I could even move. “Zsasz, you’re up,” Roman said, understanding why I didn’t want to be the first. Roman continued to stay behind me as Zsasz giddily skipped his way over to an anxious Richard, still squirming on the hooks and crying through his gag.

Zsasz ran his tongue over his top teeth as he smiled, running the blade of his knife down Richard’s cheek. Richard flinched away and cried out as the hooks moved under his skin. “Now don’t go passing out on us again,” Zsasz laughed. “It’s no fun if you’re not awake.”

“Bastard!” Richard screamed through his gag. Zsasz didn’t appreciate the name calling, so he cut a deep line from Richard’s hairline down to his chin. Blood dripped down his face and onto his suit as he cried. I cringed at first, finding it all to be so brutal, but then I remembered why I was there. I wanted this. I wanted to see this. I wanted to partake in it. This was what I wanted, and I had to remember that. 

Zsasz cut another deep line down the other side of Richard’s face. After that, he kept slicing little cuts around the rest of Richard’s face, nearly taking an eye out. At some point, I turned to look at Roman, to see him convince me that everything would be alright, but what I was met with shocked me. His head was covered by a black mask shaped and carved to look like a skull.  _ Fuck _ . Why did I love it on him so much? That was such a weird thing to find attractive. Yet I did. Without being able to see anything else but his eyes, I could finally see what he meant about the darkness… the very same darkness that was inside of me.

Richard’s screams of agony soon were drowned out as we stared at each other. I took a step forward and lifted my hand to touch him, but he flinched away, like he was ashamed of me seeing him like that. However, I wasn’t scared of him. He, of all people, should have known that. So I tried again, and this time he let me. My hand rested against his covered cheek and he sighed. 

“Fuck…” he muttered from behind the mask.

His bright blue eyes awakened something in me. They made me remember the stories he told me about the horrors his father made him endure, what he did to his other children, the things that his father did to other women, and so much more. We were there for one reason: revenge. Revenge for everything he put Roman through, everything he did to those poor women, everything he was planning on doing to me. Scum like him didn’t deserve to live.

When I turned back around, Zsasz was pulling off one of Richard’s ears, laughing maniacally. It was my time to play. I graped my daggers firmly and took steps forward in my still  _ very  _ tight dress. Zsasz, shocked by my sudden interest in participating, took a step back to observe. Richard watched me with wide eyes, alarmed by what I planned to do to him.

“Are you shocked?” I asked him. He didn’t respond. “Are you surprised that someone finally had enough balls to take you down… but it really didn’t take any balls in the first place.” Zsasz sniffled back a laugh at my poor attempt to scare Richard. But I knew that it was somehow working. “There never was a hiring committee, was there, Richard?” I asked, taking a step closer. “You just used the opportunity to prey on women… but then you found me… and knew you had to have me. How does it feel knowing that your son got to me first?”

Roman moved to Zsasz’s side, both of them watching me intently. Roman swung his arm over Zsasz’s shoulders and smiled under his mask, “What are you going to do to him, baby?”

I put the tip of one of my daggers against Richard’s chin, barely piercing the skin. “I’m going to take a finger for every girl he assaulted. How many did you tell me it was, Roman?”

“Thirteen.”

“Well,” I shrugged, knowing that he obviously didn’t have thirteen fingers, “teeth work, too.” Richard’s eyes widened and he struggled against his restraints as if he suddenly was able to get away. Not a chance. “You’ll finally know the pain those girls felt when you wrongfully touched them.”

I walked around him to find his wrists tightly bound together. I looked upwards and finally saw the damage the meat hooks had caused. His white shirt was drenched in blood, and the pattern reminded me of wings… but not the wings of an angel. No, he didn’t deserve that comparison. Perhaps the cut wings of Lucifer.

Richard stiffened when I took his thumb in my hands and pulled it out enough for me to find where I wanted to cut over the bottom knuckle. Daggers like the ones I held wouldn’t cut through with one hit, they would require some sawing, and I knew that it would hurt more that way.  _ Good _ .

“You… mother… fucker…” I muttered as I started sawing at his thumb. He squirmed and begged for me to stop but I didn’t listen. I was too caught up in the idea of revenge and impressing Roman that anything Richard did or said didn’t make any difference. And once the thumb was off, I threw it to the side. I didn’t waste time to start on the next finger.

“Careful, we don’t want to kill him just yet,” Roman warned. “Don’t let him bleed out.”

I rolled my eyes, “Zsasz, duct tape, please.”

Zsasz rolled his eyes back at me before sliding out from under Roman’s arm, and he grabbed a roll of duct tape from the table. He tossed it at me, and I barely caught it while still juggling my daggers. I ripped at the tape, wrapping it around Richard’s bleeding fingers before starting on the third one.

By the time I was done taking off all his fingers and duct taping them up one by one so that he wouldn’t bleed out, Roman was antsy to get his hands on his father. I could see it out of the corner of my eye. He was pulling at his sleeves anxiously and fixing his mask every so often. Yet, he never interrupted or pushed me to the side. He let me do what I wanted— what I  _ needed  _ to do. I silently thanked him for that. And, even though it felt amazing to get revenge for all of those girls who couldn’t, I couldn’t deny Roman what was rightfully his: Richard’s death.

After kicking a few loose fingers to the side, I stood before Roman with bloody hands. I was cautious of his white suit as I took his hands in mine, passing the daggers to his palms and closing them. “Finish it.”

Roman looked down at our bloody hands, feeling the same connection I felt, but stayed silent about it like I did. “That’s not my thing. Zsasz usually—”

“To hell with that. You see it in me, right? Well, I see it in me now, too,  _ because of you _ . Let your  _ real _ self go, Roman… Show me who you really are.” I gently pulled at his hands, beckoning him to follow me, and he did, slowly. “Remember what you told me?” I whispered, taking his bloody index finger and pointing it at my stomach, “You said you’d start here… then make your way up...” Roman’s breath sputtered as his finger traced up the valley between my breasts. “And, then… you’d…”

“I know,” he whispered. “I—”

“Fucking psychos!” Richard screamed again, though certainly muffled around his gag.

Roman’s touch instantly left me, then, without any warning, he stabbed his father’s stomach, “ _ Don’t interrupt! _ ” Roman bellowed in anger.

Richard fell back with the motion, screaming at the pain. Roman didn’t take pity on his father as he buried and twisted the knife in more before dragging the dagger slowly up, just like he promised he would. Richard’s guts started pouring out onto the ground. Like Roman had originally warned, it didn’t kill Richard, but it would soon if they didn’t hurry. “Don’t you ever fucking interrupt me again!” I didn’t think that would necessarily be an issue. Afterall, he’d be dead soon. “Zsasz,” Roman called, unsheathing the dagger from his father’s chest, “you’re up.”

Zsasz jumped with excitement and hurried over. Roman and I watched on, side by side, as Zsasz dug his hand into Richard’s chest, and I thought that it must be over. Surely it was enough to kill Richard finally… but no… Richard struggled a bit longer, clinging to life as best he could while Zsasz fished in his chest for his heart. “Almost there…” Zsasz cackled.

“Goodbye, asshole,” Roman said through his mask just before Zsasz found Richard’s heart and pulled.


	12. Devil Inside Me. Literally.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Smut chapter. 18+

The car pulled up to The Black Mask Club and the chauffeur parked for us. My nerves were shot and I felt tired, yet I had never felt so alive, either. What Roman and I did— what we were capable of doing _together_ — it gave me a thrill that nothing else could compare to. Even what happened with my uncle didn’t compare. Because now it was me and Roman against everything. I felt _invincible_.

Roman took my hand before opening the car door and pulling me out with him. I closed the door behind me and followed him inside the club. It was dark and quiet with no sign that they were going to open up for the night. Why wouldn’t he, though? He could celebrate his father’s death all night with booze, music, and sex with whomever he wanted. But he wasn’t going to, it seemed.

We headed upstairs, and I followed in a daze. My feet felt like they were floating up each step just to keep up with him. When we made it into Roman’s penthouse, there wasn’t even a moment to stop to admire the place. I just raced for a couch and fell onto it, sighing with relief. 

“You just _had_ to make me wear fucking heels,” I bit at Roman as I took off my shoes and threw them across the room.

Roman laid on the other couch in the room before shedding off his black gloves and throwing them into the pile with my heels. I truly felt like I was suffocating in the tight black dress he had me put on. I was hot and panting as I recalled the feeling of our bloodied hands intertwining while he wore his mask. Fuck, his mask. It was so mysterious and unnerving, yet it still attracted me, regardless. Did that make me a sick person? I hoped so.

“It’s so hot in here,” I complained, scrunching the hem of my dress in my hands. I lifted my hips into the air as I pulled the dress up my torso, stopping just before the wire of my bra was visible, then I dropped my hips and lifted my shoulders so I could pull the dress off the rest of the way. Once it was off, I took in another sigh of relief and threw the dress into the pile of discarded clothes and accessories. As I got up to get a drink from the decanter cart, Roman’s eyes followed my near nude body. It didn’t even occur to me that I was _naked_ in front of him. I was just glad to be rid of that dress. “Want one?” I offered, looking over my shoulder.

Roman’s eyes snapped up to meet mine, and he looked so fucking guilty. I smiled. “Sure,” he responded. I grabbed two glasses and started pouring us each a bourbon. “Why aren’t you afraid of me?”

“Because I’ve dealt with worse,” I answered plainly. “You’re not the scariest guy I’ve had terrorize me.” Roman cocked a brow. Who was this man who was so much scarier than he? And how was he supposed to kill him? Roman wanted to be the most feared man in Gotham, not some schmuck from the streets who maybe catcalled me. My thoughts laughed at him. “But I don’t like to talk about it…”

Roman eyed me carefully, “It sounds like you have shit luck, my dear…” He adjusted his suit jacket, “But that’s what happens when you’re so goddamn beautiful.” Flattery wasn’t going to get him anywhere, he had to know that, right? “I’m impressed, you know. I didn’t think you actually had it in you to do what you did. But I’m glad you did it.”

“Me, too.” I took the drinks back to the couches, but this time I went to sit down next to Roman. He sat up and made room for me. I handed him his drink and sat down by tucking my leg underneath me and reclining sideways against the back of the couch. We were facing each other, and Roman was watching me intently, trying so hard to not let his gaze wander lower. I silently thanked him for that, though he didn’t have to be that polite. I knew guys like him, and I knew what they wanted. And for once, I wanted him to look. I wanted him to touch. But all in good time, I supposed. “I mean, I knew I could do it, obviously, but not like that. Not to that extent. But I loved it.” I sipped the bourbon to pass a second or two while we both thought. “Does that make me a bad person?”

“Yes,” Roman said, pulling at his red tie to loosen it. He pulled it over his head and threw it over the pile of clothes across the room. “But what you did was honest with yourself and that’s the best thing you can do.”

“Do you think we’ll regret it?”

Roman scoffed, “No.”

“Is your adrenaline still pumping?”

“Yes. Is yours?”

“Yes. Did you like my dress?”

“Yes. Did you like my mask?”

I gulped, and he caught me. He smirked. “Yes,” I whispered, “more than I should have.”

He raised a brow, “What is that supposed to mean?”

“Nuh uh, I didn’t ask a question first.” Roman huffed at my tease. “What did you feel when we touched earlier?”

“Everything. Now, what did you mean?”

“You know what I meant. What did you mean?”

The room fell silent as he glared at me and looked me over, sizing me up. I watched him admire me while I drank more. The coolness of the bourbon was helping me cooldown, but my skin still somehow felt like it was on fire. I felt like there was only one cure, and it wasn’t alcohol. _Crap_. 

“I decided something, by the way. Do you want to know what it is?” I asked Roman, and he nodded. “You said that I was honest with myself, and I think you’re right. What I did, that’s who I really am. I don’t want to ever forget it.”

That darkness that Roman always referred to, I could see it glazing over his eyes in that moment. Something different than the Roman Sionis I knew took over him and he pounced, and I let him. He leaned over the space between us and kissed me roughly, which I gladly returned. My free hand cupped the back of his neck, my fingers playing with the end of his short black hair. He groaned against my lips and returned the favor by tangling his own free hand in my long blonde hair.

As Roman started pushing me slowly onto my back so that he could tower over me, I blindly aimed for the floor with my glass so that I could touch all of him with both of my hands. Just the feeling of his hands running through my hair was enough to set me off. I knew in that moment that I wanted all of him— no holding back. Our darknesses mixing in the dim lit penthouse was the only thing I needed to feel that night.

My lips fell agape when Roman started leaving a trail of kisses from my cheek down to my collarbone. Through his white suit and my purple panties I could feel his length hardening. For the first time that night, I moaned his name quietly and passionately, a plea for more.

Roman took a tight hold on my hips and stood up, lifting me up, and I wrapped my legs around his waist, “Couch… table… or bed…” he asked between breaths. I told him I didn’t care, I just wanted him. He stumbled around the room with me in his arms, our tongues still fighting for dominance. Before I knew it, Roman had carried me to his bedroom and set me gently on his bed.

The silk sheets formed to my body as I backed myself up further onto the bed in order to make room for Roman. With a dark hunger in his eyes, he climbed onto the bed and hovered over me once more. My lips were brought to his again, but the kiss was rougher this time, and with him dominating. “ _Mine_ ,” he muttered.

I fumbled with his belt buckle, trying to uncloth him as fast as I could. He had seen nearly all of me, and I had seen none of him. For a moment, Roman panicked when he saw a dagger gripped in my hand, “Don’t worry,” I smiled before cutting at his shirt. I tore his shirt asunder and admired his chiseled form. Granted, he was no Superman, but credit where credit was due: he was _fit_. It only made me want him more. “Come here,” I beckoned him. He leaned over me and I removed the jacket and shirt from his body. “Now for the rest.”

I managed to pull his belt out of each of the belt loops and toss it to the side, but he was slowly getting more bare than I was, and he didn’t appreciate that. Afterall, it was he who instigated this, and he wanted to see what he was getting— _all_ of what he was getting. He tore my bra into pieces without a care in the world and I cursed at him. “Hey, that was expensive shit! You planning to pay for that?”

Roman just grinned. Like a goddamn hyena about to pounce, he flashed that awful, maddening, intoxicating grin, ran his hands up my back and neck and kissed me hard and fast. He barely let me breathe for about three minutes straight, and the longer my lips spent on his, the less I wanted them to leave. I could feel his hands grasping, squeezing, working their way down my body and settling with one hand on my ass and the other on the back of my neck. He moved his lips down to my neck, managing to quickly find and exploit that one weak spot right where the jaw meets the neck and the skin is extra soft. Fuck. He had my number from the start. Now, I didn’t think that was terribly fair, so I decided to try and even the odds a bit: I kept one hand around his shoulders and slid the other down his chest, through his pants, to meet his somehow still growing cock. Funny how you don’t realize how big something truly is until it takes up your entire hand.

He hissed at my touch and let his head fall, his long hair covering his beautiful face. It took him a moment to regain his composure, but when he did, his fingers expertly moved my panties to the side. I pushed his pants to his ankles, giving me more access to his considerable length. He admired me for a moment, completely naked before him. “His”, as he would put it. During his admiration with awe, his thumb ghosted over my clit, as if to see if I was still real, like I had just been a figment of his imagination. In response, my hand ran up the length of him, all the way to the tip. He started playing with me, and I played with him.

Roman’s naked fingers pushed into me with ease before curling with expertise against my g-spot, and my back arched against the silk sheets underneath me. His other hand held my hips down and he leaned over me again, taking one of my nipples in his mouth. This was so different to how _He_ had treated me. Roman treated me with care and with some roughness, but he still sought out my own pleasure, knowing that it wasn’t only about him. Sex was a two way street full of pleasure.

I lifted my head upwards and locked my lips with his again, “Fuck me…” I moaned, still running my hand up and down his length at a fast pace.

An animalistic look overcame Roman and he pulled my panties off with one foul swoop. I supposed that I’d be leaving naked, then. That was _if_ Roman would let me leave. It was a thought that crossed my mind, but I didn’t dare dwell on, not when I was about to get what I was using him for.

Roman tore my hand away from his erection and pinned my arms over my head before entering me to the hilt with one forceful thrust. His wet fingers, the same ones he used to finger me, made their way into my mouth and I could taste myself. I wanted him to taste how sweet I was so bad, so I kissed him again and he moaned into my mouth, thrusting into me again. Every time he pulled back, it felt like he was going to exit me entirely and I whined everytime, needing to feel all of him inside me. Slowly, his thrusts started speeding up and I felt like he was going to tear me apart with the roughness of his cock fucking me with no remorse.

“You’re so fucking tight,” he groaned in my ear, his eye lids tightening in concentration. “You feel so good around my cock.” His thrusts were getting sloppy and I knew that he was close, but he wouldn’t let himself cum before I came around him. Roman put his fingers back on my clit and started rubbing the bundle of nerves in a figure eight until I was moaning his name over and over again, my head thrown back on the bed, and my eyes shut tight. My legs wrapped around his waist, bringing him hither, making him fuck me deeper.

“I’m gonna cum, Roman.”

His right hand found its way to my neck and gripped slightly. and he didn’t let up. The closer he got, the harder his grip got, and I loved it. The feeling of him inside me, his fingers working on my clit, his hand wrapped around my neck, and his lips glued to mine was enough to send me over the edge. My fist hit the mattress as I came and I moaned his name like it was second nature. He fucked me through my orgasm, his own thrusts becoming _extremely_ sloppy, and I knew he was going to cum, but my legs didn’t move from his hips. I kept him close, and he knew what that meant.

“You’re so… fucking… gorgeous…” The last word sputtered in his throat as he came inside me, his body collapsing over mine. His sweat stuck to mine, his hair was in my face, and his breath was hot on my ear, yet I didn’t want to move. I never wanted to move from this position. His cock twitched one last time as he emptied everything he had deep inside me, and I felt my weak legs fall from his hips. I was still shaking.

“Fuck…” I whispered, moving his hair in his fist from his face to get a good look at him. My thumb dragged along his forehead, collecting his sweat, and he looked at me differently. He didn’t look at me like the innocent girl he had originally seen me as, and he didn’t look at me like the psychopath my family saw me as. He looked at me like I was human, and I showed him the same kindness. We were just two humans connected at the hip and more.

“Don’t look at me like that,” he whispered.

“Like what?”

“Like you don’t hate me.”

“I don’t hate you.”

“Everyone hates me. And I made a pretty bad first impression, didn’t I?”

I didn’t know how to answer him. It made me feel weird to think that we had only known each other such a short time, yet we had come so far together. But the way Roman handled me when he put away the persona of the great and mighty Roman Sionis just for me made me see him in a way that no one else had seen him. He was vulnerable with me. He could’ve tossed me to the side the minute he was finished, but he didn’t.

“Stop it,” he begged.

I kissed his lips, “I don’t hate you, and I’m still not scared of you.”

Roman smiled and I felt him harden inside me again, “Shit.”

“When’s Zsasz coming back?”

“When I tell him to.”

“So there’s enough time.”

Roman smirked and lifted himself off of me. He didn’t pull out of me as he took my hips and flipped me violently onto my stomach. My forehead was pressed into the mattress as he started fucking me again. I gripped the sheets until my knuckles were turning white while biting the shit out of my lip to stop myself from moaning.

“How had I never seen you in my club before?” he asked while nearly hate fucking me. But he knew the answer. He hadn’t caught my attention before, therefore his club hadn’t been worth my time. But now he caught my eye, and I wondered if I’d become a regular like Erika was. Erika. Fuck. She could never know.

The thought slipped away when Roman gathered my hair and pulled my head off the bed. “Roman…” I pleaded, but I wasn’t sure what for. I couldn’t understand if I wanted it harder and faster or for him to let up and let me breathe. I wasn’t thinking straight. And he made me cum on his cock again. “Fuck!” I cried as my legs shook, nearly giving out from under me. Roman caught me and kept going. He propped me up on my knees, bringing my back to his chest, then moved my hair to the side and started kissing and biting at my neck. He reached around my body to pinch and tweak my nipples and I fell apart around him again, “Roman, stop…” It was too much. But I didn’t mean it. I wanted him to keep going. I wanted him to fuck me until I couldn’t breathe or walk.

So he didn’t stop. He kept fucking me, harder than the first time, and kept making me cum around him like I was a doll that was meant to be broken. “You want me to cum inside you again?” I nodded before letting my head fall back against his shoulder.

“Yes! Roman! Yes!” I took his hands from my nipples and intertwined our fingers as I moved my hips against his, begging for his cum inside me again. Roman’s hands tensed against mine and held me close as he came, this time shouting my name.

As we caught our breaths, he slid out of me. I collapsed onto my chest, and Roman collapsed onto his back at the space beside me on the mattress. We both panted and laid there in silence, reflecting on what had just happened. All of the nerves from the events on the docks had been replaced with the splendid thoughts of what Roman had just done to me.

“We should probably finish those drinks,” Roman pushed his sweaty hair back and stood. I watched him as he left and returned, now holding our drinks again. I propped my head up with one arm and smiled a thank you to him as I took my drink. He stood at the window and leaned against the frame.

“You’re not going to join me?” I asked.

Roman stood before me, still naked and panting, and gave me a stern look, “Don’t tempt me.”

“Mmm? Why not?” I teased.

Roman didn’t respond to me. He kept his eyes on the city outside while he thought silently about something I couldn’t know about. After what had just happened, I wished that he could have been more honest with me, but I also understood that in some odd way we were still strangers. Even though the feeling of his touch made me feel things I thought I’d never be able to feel, I understood if he didn’t feel the same. Maybe this really was just a hook up and I was in over my head.

“You should get some sleep,” he encouraged. “It’s been an eventful day.”

But I didn’t want to sleep. I wanted to stay awake with him all night, wrapped in his arms while his cum ran down my thighs. I wanted to see if we could do it again if we stayed up long enough. Not that sex was the most important thing. I’d be more than happy to just talk with him until the sun would rise. We clearly had so much to talk about, given by how long we had talked in his club only a day prior. Couldn’t he just hold me a little longer?

“You should, too,” I said, referencing him to come to bed with me. I finished my drink with one large gulp.

To my surprise, Roman obliged my obvious offer after taking my empty glass from me and setting it next to his drink on the dresser. I scooted to the side in order to leave enough room for Roman to lay beside me comfortably. He helped me under the sheets and held out his arms for me to cuddle under.

He kissed my temple as we settled, “Thank you.”

“What for?”

“Seeing the real me.”

My hand brushed over his bare and warm chest, “Likewise.”


	13. Devil's Throne

The moon came and went, yet Roman and I never moved from his bed. We stayed wrapped in each other’s arms, my head on his chest, his breath on my hair. This wasn’t like any one night stand I’d ever had. We were just instantly comfortable around each other. I felt like I never wanted to move, but I wasn’t sure how Roman felt about it. For all I knew, he was counting down the minutes until I got dressed, silently left, and never looked back. I hoped that wasn’t the case.

As the city outside came alive for the day, I finally felt Roman shift beneath me, wriggling to get out of my grip, and I let him go. All while the two of us stayed eerily quiet, I was just trying to read him. I watched as he put on his burgundy robe, and I covered myself with the blankets, preparing for the classic: “I have things to do… I’m sorry…” followed by me apologizing for overstaying my welcome before leaving and never seeing him again.

However, Roman surprised me when he leaned over the width of the mattress and kissed me deeply. I looked up at him as he pulled away, trying with all my might to not pull him back into bed with me.

“Breakfast?” he offered, standing up right.

I nodded, nearly speechless, “Yeah.”

“I’ll have the chef cook something up for us.”

“I actually know a pretty great place,” I said without thinking. “I can go pick it up?”

“No,” Roman said a little too quickly and caught himself. “No, I want you to stay right where you are. I’ll handle it. What’s it called? Shu de Fla or—”

I laughed quietly at him. It was funny how he saw me as some rich girl who had come from his world, when really he was in mine. Two angels who had fallen from heaven, now finding each other in hell. I wasn’t like how Roman saw me at all. I wasn’t some princess who went to places like Shu de Fla every chance I could get. But I liked that he saw me as something better than who I really was. It made me feel special…

“It’s a small place called Sal’s. The owner, he’s a good friend of mine. Just tell him you’re picking up for me and he’ll know what to do.”

“How is it that all of Gotham got to know you before I did?” he played.

“Because you were always holed up in your club,” I teased back, hoping to coax him back into bed with me. “And you were too chicken shit to tell me how you really felt.”

Roman smiled, “Those are fighting words, Ms. Morgana.”

Holy shit. The way he said my name… my  _ real  _ name, not the nickname everyone called me by. My real, whole name. It glided so easily off of his tongue, and it sounded like music to my ears. I never wanted so badly for someone to speak my name over and over again.

In response, I wanted to say something snarky that would surely pull him over me again, but there was a knock at the door before I got the chance, and we both knew who it was: Zsasz. I was sure to cover myself completely before Roman could invite his henchman in.

Zsasz hardly noticed me as he entered the room. He strolled to his boss, and pulled him to the side to whisper something. Every now and again, they’d send a short glance over their shoulders to look at me, and I started to feel self conscious. Was this the moment Roman would kick me out? Had it already come? I shouldn’t have been shocked.

Roman thanked Zsasz for something then said, “While you’re out, head to  _ Sal’s _ and pick up some breakfast for me and the lady.”

So he wasn’t yet kicking me out. That was a relief. But Zsasz didn’t seem as relaxed with the idea as I was. In fact, he seemed rather annoyed that Roman had chosen to spend his morning with me rather than him. Zsasz’s feelings aside, he obeyed his boss’s wishes and headed out of the penthouse to get us breakfast. It was just Roman and I, alone once more.

Roman sat on the edge of his bed, but he didn’t tell me what he and Zsasz had discussed. My curiosity, unfortunately, got the better of me, and I had to ask him what had them so strained. Richard was finally gone, and there was reason to celebrate, so why wasn’t Roman already planning a special night to spend down in The Black Mask Club?

As if he expected me to interrogate him about the secrets, he told me everything I wanted to know. “I thought that having you as a planted witness of sorts was the best thing for us in the case that anyone snooped around with my father’s death… But I really fucked up, Morgana.”

I pushed the blankets off my body and slid myself to Roman, resting my chin on his shoulder, “What are you talking about?”

Roman slightly shrugged, but it wasn’t enough to nudge me off of him, “It’s nothing,” he lied. “I just need you to stay somewhere safe until things with my father’s death have cleared up.”  _ Where’s the safest place for me? I have nowhere else to go but The Pixie Dust. _ “The safest place is where Zsasz and I can see you. The safest place is here, with me.”

I didn’t even think to fight him on it, “Fine.” If Roman didn’t want to tell me the whole truth, then I would have to accept that until he was ready to talk about it. Afterall, I hadn’t been entirely truthful with him yet, either. There were things I had alluded to, but I never discussed them with him, and that was okay. We were still strangers who had known each other for a few days. “If that’s what you want.”

Roman stretched his neck to his shoulder in order to kiss my cheek, “Zsasz will take you later to collect your things from The Pixie Dust. I’ll have arrangements made for everything. You won’t have to lift a finger, I swear it.”

“You don’t have to do this for me, Roman.” I told him. He turned his body so that he could look at me head on, and he gave me a soft look that read: “Really? After everything?” I looked at the floor, “I’m serious. Why—”

His thumb found my bottom lip and he traced it slowly to get me to stop talking for a moment. “We see each other better than anyone has seen us before. I haven’t felt like a stranger to you since the night we spent in the club just talking. I feel like I’ve known you all my life… I hate feeling like I could care about something that I can’t control— and I know for fucking sure that I’d never be able to control you… But, at the very least, I can try to protect you. This is my fucking mess, and I dragged you into it, but you don’t need to suffer the concequences. So, let me just control my mess and protect you so that I know everything’s going to be alright. Will you do that for me, baby?”

My breath wavered against his touch and I couldn’t even express how he made me feel in that moment. There I was, worried that we didn’t know each other well enough, that he would kick me to the curb like everyone else did, and that everything I felt with him was a lie. Meanwhile, he had been stressing over wanting to know everything about me, keeping me by his side, and expressing that he felt everything I felt. There was nothing to worry about, and he made sure I knew that as his thumb’s trail drifted to my jawline.

He traced my jaw a few times before stopping on my chin and lifting my face so that he could appreciate my beauty. Despite my messy hair from our late night events and my smeared make up from sleeping in his arms, Roman looked at me like I was the most beautiful person in the world. He didn’t seem scared of the way I looked at him anymore, either. In fact, he invited my gaze upon him as much as I invited his upon me.

I leaned forward and kissed his lips, remembering the way he said my name with those very same lips. I wanted him to say it again and again until we passed out in each other’s arms again. I never wanted my name to stop leaving the lips that were kissing mine.

“Let’s get dressed for the day, shall we?” he asked between kisses. I nodded and smiled against his lips. We unwillingly parted, and I reached for him as he stood and walked to his closet.

I laid down on my stomach and faced him, “You don’t happen to have something for me to wear other than the dress you made me wear yesterday, do you?”

“Mmm… but I love that dress on you.”

“And you’ll get to take it off me later if you give me something more comfortable for now.”

“Well played, Ms. Morgana.”

My heart fluttered, “Say it again,” I begged.

Roman pulled a purple button up shirt from his closet then looked at me, “Say what?” He was playing innocent because I had teased him with the idea of taking off my dress.  _ Fair enough. _

“My name. Say it again.”

Roman reapproached the bed and he carefully helped me to my knees. Our faces were close again and I thought that he was going to kiss me, but he silently proceeded to help me put on the shirt he pulled out. He slid on each arm for me and buttoned every button except for the top three, just to show enough cleavage to keep him on edge. “Beg for it.”

“You’re the worst,” I croaked, but he didn’t respond. He would hold out until I would beg for him to say my name again. He could play this game with me all day because he knew that I couldn’t. “Please, Roman… Please, say my name.” If he didn’t want to play fair to see me ache for him, then I could double his aching by playing with those same rules. My lips found his neck and I nibbled gently while whispering against his skin, “Please, Roman.” The attempt was so sensual and sexual that I heard him release a quiet sigh that he had tried to hide from me. I did it again and his hands roamed their way under the shirt he put on me.

“Morgana…” he let out and I moaned into his neck. “Morgana.” His hands caressed my back while I sneakily peeled off his robe. “Morgana.”

“Don’t stop…”

“Morgana.”

My tongue ran down the length of his neck then stopped at his collarbone where I left another hickey, “Keep going, Roman…”

“Morgana—”

“Breakfast, boss!” Zsasz called as he entered the penthouse. Roman and I both jumped. I pulled his large shirt back over the curve of my ass while Roman hurried to put his robe back on. Zsasz walked in just after we had adjusted ourselves. He eyes us both, noticing Roman’s red skin and my flustered face. It was plainly obvious what we had been doing. Zsasz lifted the bag from Sal’s up to shoulder height and shook it, “I bring gifts.”

Roman pulled his robe over his collarbone, “Thank you, Zsasz. We’ll be out in just a moment.”

Zsasz rolled his eyes at me again, but with every occurrence it started to sting less. He walked back out into the living room and dining room with the food. The second he was around the corner, Roman turned back to me, planted a kiss roughly on my lips, and squeezed my ass. I moaned and bit his lip playfully. 

“Jesus fucking— fuck,” he said breathlessly. As he reached down to the floor for something, I stood to go out to the dining room to retrieve our breakfasts. “Nuh uh,” he stopped me, “you’re forgetting something,  _ Morgana _ .” I turned to see that he was holding my purple panties up with one finger. I stole the panties back from him and slid them on. “Maybe I was wrong about you wearing black all this time. I know you said that purple is your favorite color… I can see why now.”

“Well, that’s why you picked a purple shirt from your closet, I see.”

“Do you blame me?” He laughed as he took my hand and led me out of the bedroom. Piled up on the floor in the living room was our discarded clothes, and I saw his bloody gloves on top, staring at me. “Sit,” he encouraged as he pulled out a seat at the dining table for me.

The table was a long banquet table with only one side of the table and the ends filled with chairs. Roman had pulled out a seat for me at one end of the table, and across from me was Zsasz. Sitting in the middle was Roman, and I nearly laughed. The world has a funny sense of humor sometimes.

Zsasz slid one of the tinfoil covered breakfast burgers towards me before handing another one to Roman. “The cook asked about the girl,” Zsasz said to Roman like I wasn’t even in the room. “Do you want me to handle it?”

Roman scoffed, “God, no, Zsasz. Mor tells me she’s friends with the owner. It’s nothing to concern yourself with.”

“Whatever you say, boss,” he responded as he opened his sandwich. 

I waited for them to take their first bites before even unwrapping mine. Roman didn’t hesitate to dig in, acutely aware that I was watching him to read if he liked Sal’s as much as I did. Then, following in his boss’s footsteps, Zsasz picked up his sandwich and took a bite. After seeing that neither of them spat it out or put it to the side, I unwrapped my burger and bit in.

The table was quiet as we ate, and I found myself looking around Roman’s penthouse. After coming back from the docks the night previous, I hadn’t stopped to see how Roman decorated his life, but now there was plenty of time, and I was absolutely fascinated.

The walls were lined with ancient masks that had been collected from all around the world, the hallway that led to the front door was guarded by old Samurai armor sets, and the wall behind Zsasz was filled with acupuncture model statues and in the middle was a statue of Roman himself.

Roman caught my wandering eyes and he smiled like a little boy on Christmas morning that had run downstairs to see his living room filled with presents from Santa. I stood with my sandwich in hand and wandered my way over to the Samurai warriors in the hallway. I took a bite while I admired how old and beautiful they were. Thousands upon thousands ago, someone had worn this very armor, and now it was just decoration in Roman’s living room.

“So you have an obsession with masks, Mr. Sionis,” I teased, moving on to the masks on the wall. “Should I be concerned?”

“Why would you be?”

“Well, usually people who wear masks have something to hide. Just ask the Batman.”

Roman chuckled, “I have nothing to hide, no— But they do  _ inspire  _ me. Those Samurai to your left were once great warriors. They took on challenges many were too afraid to face because they were afraid of nothing. All of the masks you see represent something of that nature. Whether it be the warrior masks from an African tribe I visited or the ancient swords I have on display.”

“And what does  _ your  _ mask represent?” I asked, noting that it was nowhere on display.

“What do you think it represents?”

“Death,” was the obvious answer, but I decided to elaborate, “and the freedom to be whomever you want so that you can achieve greatness without anyone to hold you back with consequences.”  _ I see you _ , was what I truly meant.  _ I understand you. _

Roman wiped his mouth with a napkin before throwing it on the table and pushing out his chair. He walked around the table, passing Zsasz without so much as a glance, and approaching my side. “I want to show you something,” he took my hand and started pulling me along.

I followed him to another room that was on the opposite side of the giant penthouse than where I had been previously. The walls were painted red with the images of bare breasted women with a string around each of their necks which connected them. As the room opened up, I could see a vanity mirror to my right, a large grey couch in the middle, and on display to my left was Roman’s Black Mask and a throne beneath it.

“So you have a throne,” I noted aloud, skipping a step to catch up to Roman.

He caught me and held me close, “When I visited India last year, I met the most incredible man who has been carving thrones for kings and queens since he was a little boy. He makes them out of these rare trees that can only be found in his region, and only he is allowed to cut them down. When we met, he asked me if I was a king, and I told him that I would be one day, so he made me this gorgeous piece.” Roman left my side to run his hand over the backrest of the wooden throne. It was painted with black skulls on the edges, and roses with thorns on the four legs as if the flowers were growing from the ground beneath. “He painted these himself based on my personality as we spoke to one another for days on end. Once he was finished, I asked him what they meant, and he told me three things. One, that I was to be the king of death, but I would embrace it and use it to my benefit. Two and three had to do with the roses and thorns on the legs. He said that my reign would bloom many things, including love and prosperity— hence the roses. However, I’d never be settled because of the thorns pricking at my legs while I would reign. I would have to be cautious and smart in order to prevent as many thorns from growing as I can while making sure that the roses could still bloom.”

“He got all of that from just talking to you for a few days?”

“We’ve discovered just as much about ourselves since we started talking to one another a few days ago, have we not?”  _ I see you.. I understand you… You do not frighten me… I know you… I value you…  _ He wasn’t wrong. “Come. Sit,” he ordered me, taking my hand and leading me to the throne. “It’s surprisingly comfortable.” I slowly took a seat on the throne, biting my lip at how cold it was against my bare thighs. Roman released my hand and took a step back to admire me, “You are stunning,” he sighed at the apprehension. “Absolutely magnificent.” My cheeks burned with embarrassment at his compliments. “You know how I feel about you biting your lip and smiling when you blush…”

Though I hadn’t done it on purpose originally, I now did it to get at him, “Like this?” I asked innocently.

“ _ Morgana _ ,” he growled.

“Jesus, can the two of you stay out of each other’s pants just until I finish eating?” Zsasz yelled at us from the dining room. 

Roman and I laughed quietly, “Many apologies, Mr. Zsasz.” Roman leaned over and picked me up, and I nearly yelped before he caught me and put a hand over my mouth to keep me quiet. I pulled his hand off my mouth and kissed him briefly, but he saw my little game coming from a mile away, and in an attempt to subdue me, he threw me over his shoulder and started carrying me back to the living room. I watched his Black Mask fade from view while I hit at his back. In return, he slapped my ass. “Ms. Wreef has a tendency to play games with me. She’s quite uncontrollable.” Zsasz scoffed when he saw Roman carrying me around. Roman put me down in my chair, “Finish eating while I get dressed, then we’ll begin with our day.”

I grabbed the collar of his robe before he could get away from me, “We can’t just stay in bed all day?” I pouted.

“Of course not. After seeing your proclivity for the dual daggers yesterday, I’ve decided that Zsasz is going to teach you how to use them properly.”

“What?” Zsasz and I jinxed.

“It’s one thing to saw off a man’s finger, it’s another to actually know how to use and throw the daggers. Therefore, Victor is going to teach you how to use them the right way.”

“Roman, that’s unnecessary,” I argued. Zsasz and I weren’t exactly the best of friends because I made him self conscious about his relationship with Roman. He didn’t like sharing his boss, and he decided that my presence was a threat to the life he loved with Roman. Now, if Roman were going to force us to spend time together, I feared that Zsasz would use the dagger on me.

Roman ignored both mine and Zsasz’s complaints as he headed back to his room to change, “Afterwards, when it’s nightfall, you two will return to The Pixie Dust and collect everything. Zsasz will also handle Cal. We’ll wait until tonight so that no one sees you leaving the club or going to the motel. It’s of the utmost importance that Mor’s whereabouts are unknown. It will only be the two of you so that you can move quickly and efficiently, do you understand?” he peeked his head out from his room to see our reactions. Zsasz nodded and shrugged, still the loyal best friend. Roman looked at me and waited until I also nodded, then he went back to changing. When he emerged from his bedroom, Roman was dressed in a purple suit with purple shoes and gold cufflinks.  _ A little on the nose, don’t you think? _ “We’ll open the club tonight so that no one gets suspicious that something’s going on. Mor, you’ll call Erika this afternoon and tell her you quit at Janus, but you’ll mention nothing of what has been happening over the last few days. If she asks about my father, you lie and say you haven’t seen him. Then, I will call later and handle the business side of things with her in order to keep her quiet. How does that sound?”

“It’s a great plan, boss.”

_ Suck up _ .

Roman clapped his hands together and smiled brightly, “‘Kay, then let’s go throw some daggers. Dress up a bit for me, baby, while Zsasz goes to get the club ready.”

Zsasz silently stood after hearing his order and walked out of the penthouse obediently. I think he figured there was no use fighting Roman about teaching me when I had already tried to get out of it. The only hitch was, I still had no clothes besides the stuff on the floor and what Roman put on me.

“I don’t have anything to wear.”

Roman reached down for the dress and heels I discarded last night, while also picking up his gloves, “Try all this on for size.”  _ The gloves, too?  _ “Yes, the gloves, too,” he said when he saw my face. He kissed my cheek and passed the clothes to me, “I’ll see you downstairs, baby.”

The club was dark when I walked downstairs, which was unusual. Normally when I saw the club was lit up and vibrant with music, dancing, and drinking. It took me a moment to adjust to the cold feeling of the dark and quiet version of The Black Mask Club.

As I turned the corner, I could see that the bar’s lights were on, and Zsasz was helping himself to a drink. Roman was sitting in our booth, white gloves now covering his hands. I looked down at my own covered hands and settled with how his gloves felt on me. I loved it. The way they fit, the way they smelled of Roman, the blood still stained on them, the gold initials on the top. They were perfect in every way.

All of the couches and tables that were usually in the middle of the club had been pushed into the back corner by the bar, but there was still one table and chair left. I approached the chair, thinking that it was for me, but Zsasz stopped me with an attentive whistle before I could sit. I stopped to look at him then I looked down at the table. The same daggers I had used yesterday to kill Richard sat there, cleaned and polished, no hint of what they had been used for formerly. They looked good as new. They were also accompanied by a handful of other similar daggers, but not replicas.

Zsasz came out from behind the bar with a drink and he quietly took a seat in the lone chair he had kept me out of. “Pick them up,” he ordered, gesturing to the daggers. I did as I was told. “See the target there?” he asked, nodding to the huge ass target that had been set up on the stage. Of course I fucking saw it. “Start throwing. We’ll work from there.”

I looked up at Roman and he gave a silent nod of encouragement from the shadows. I sighed deeply and turned to the target. The stranger who had taken over my body at the docks the day prior returned to help me impress both Zsasz and Roman. I threw both daggers in my hand, one after the other, but they both missed. Zsasz laughed from his seat behind me. As I turned to grab two more, I sent him a glare. Two more throws, and I only managed to hit at the very end of the target. It wasn’t good enough. So another two and I was closer with both.

As I went to pick up the next set, Zsasz stopped me. He put down his drink and stood up, “Surprisingly, it’s all in the stance and the wrist. Think of it like tennis.”  _ What am I? A six year old? Jesus, Zsasz. _ He kicked my feet apart lazily then moved my body around so that I had what he considered to be a proper stance. “Better,” he congratulated himself. “When you’re throwing, keep your wrist stiff and your thumb aimed with where you want the knife to land. Keep your hand straight all the way through the motion,” he took my hand and molded me the way he wanted, and I let him. “Good. Now go.”

Once Zsasz stepped back again, I coiled my arm back before throwing like he told me to. The knife hit the target, but it only bounced off and met the ground. Happy with this new technique, I gave it more power and it hit the middle of the target and stuck. I wasn’t a natural or a master by any means, but Zsasz’s help surely made a difference. I would never admit that to him, though.

In the shadows, Roman was trying his very best to get comfortable without making himself too obvious, but every time I turned around for a new pair of daggers, I’d catch his hands gliding over his pants for some relief. His reaction only encouraged me, and he knew it. I was starting to hit the target more, but not as often as I would have liked.

Once I ran out of daggers on the table, I went to go collect them from the stage. Both Roman and Zsasz watched me struggle to not topple over in my heels and keep my dress pulled down over my ass every time I reached down. At least Roman enjoyed the view. Zsasz, not so much.

“How about a game?” Roman finally spoke up as I dropped all of the daggers back on the table. “Every time you miss, you remove an article of clothing.”

“Is that why you had me get all dressed up for you?”

“That was one of the reasons.”

“I told you that you’d get to rip off the dress, not watch me strip it off again.”

“We make do with what we have.”

I rolled my eyes playfully at him before turning back to the target. I made the first one, but then missed the second one. I cursed under my breath and looked at the ground, knowing that Roman was waiting to see what I would do.  _ Fine…  _ I pulled off one of his gloves and threw it at him. He caught it and placed it on the table in front of him.

Two more throws and I made both without a sweat. Then another two daggers missed as if the world had it out for me.  _ Fuck _ . I peeled off the other glove and threw it at Roman again. Then I took off one of my heels and kicked it to the side. The fact that I was now standing with one foot on the ground and one foot in a tall heel wasn’t likely to bode well for me, and I knew that, so I took a gamble. I purposefully missed one shot and landed the other just so that I could even myself out.

Now that I had two feet planted on the floor, I took the last two daggers available on the table and rotated them around in my hands while I contemplated something. Like Roman said earlier, I liked to play games and I wasn’t controllable… I could use that to my advantage. So I threw both and they both missed.

Zsasz lounged back in his chair, sucking on the rim of his glass as he anticipated my next move. All I had left to take off was my dress and the two garments beneath. The question was, which of the two I’d take off.

“Do me a favor, Zsasz?” I asked, taking a step towards him and turning around, gesturing to the stubborn zipper on my back. He cleared his throat and looked to Roman for permission. He nodded and my heart jumped slightly.  _ He knows. He knows I did it on purpose. Fuck. Shit. Fucking fuck, shit, fuck…  _ Zsasz reached for my zipper and slowly pulled it down, letting my dress fall to the ground effortlessly. “Thank you.” He nodded and licked his lips.  _ If he knows, then why hasn’t he said anything yet?  _ I reached my arms behind my back and got a grip on the clasps of my bra. I pushed inwards towards my spine to unhook the clasps and nearly succeeded in pulling off the rest of my bra before Roman stopped me.

“Throw one more first,” he commanded. With my bra unclasped, I grabbed a single dagger from the floor and threw it without looking, knowing that my game was over. Of course, it missed, and Roman wasn’t too pleased. “Zsasz, clasp her bra together again.” Zsasz did as he was told, and I quietly hissed at the feeling of his cold fingers against my back. “Keep throwing,  _ Morgana _ , just like that, and I’ll handle you when you come back from getting your stuff at the motel,” he said as he stood from the booth and buttoned up his suit jacket.

“You’re leaving, boss?” Zsasz questioned.

Roman ignored the question. “Make sure she calls Erika from her phone at some point this afternoon.” He approached me and ran a gloved hand up and down my arm, “We’ll talk later,  _ Morgana _ .”

“Tease,” I whispered.

“I could say the same about you. Don’t dish it if you can’t take it.”

“I’d like to take something else—”

“Don’t be vulgar in front of company or I’ll add it to the already long list of things I need to handle with you later.”

“You won’t hold out,” I whispered as I inched closer to his lips. “The day is still young and you’ll come back.”

“Don’t hold your breath, baby. I can do this all day long. It’s all about control, remember? And remember how we concluded you have none…” He slapped my ass, “I’ll see you tonight.”

I leaned forward to kiss his lips, but he dodged me and I whined. Roman didn’t look back at me as he went back up to the penthouse, leaving me nearly naked with Zsasz for the rest of the afternoon. “He’s not actually going to make me stay like this, right?” I asked Zsasz.

“Roman only likes four places on this earth: the club, the penthouse, the docks, and his mother’s house. What do all three of those have in common, you ask? Well, he has complete control in them. He doesn’t like things he can’t be controlled because it makes him think of those stupid fucking thornes on that god awful throne he has upstairs. Somehow, you’ve managed to convince him that you’re a rose rather than a thorn, and that’s why he hasn’t gotten you under control yet. But he knows that precious, little roses need to be protected by the thorns, too, so he’s going to control everything about your life in order to protect and play with you. So, yes,  _ little rose _ , he is seriously going to make you stay like this until we leave for the motel tonight.” I gulped. “Good news for you is, you’re not my type. Don’t take it personally. I just don’t like roses that grow on the throne. I see them as weeds rather than flowers. But as long as Roman sees you as his little rose, I’ll play nice.” He took his glass back in his hands and crossed his legs, “You better get back to throwing. It’s going to be a very long afternoon.”


	14. Demon's Little Pet

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kidnapping and torture. Viewer discretion is advised.

Zsasz had to get the club ready to open before we could leave for the Pixie Dust. Meanwhile, I got redressed so that I could go out. Still left with no other real option than the black dress, I changed back into that while I waited for Zsasz to get rid of the huge fucking target on the stage and put all of the furniture back. Roman promised that I wouldn’t have to lift a finger, and he meant it.

Once Marco arrived and insisted that he could finish opening up, Zsasz grabbed me and put me in a car in the alleyway behind The Black Mask Club, and we were on our way. The motel was still a fucking dump as Zsasz and I pulled up in the car. Inside The Pixie Dust, Cal was still sitting at his desk with his hands still down his pants. When he saw me and Zsasz walking through the lobby, he threw his hands up in surrender and hid under the table. Well, at least he learned his lesson after the last time I saw him. At least he knew to keep his hands to himself now.

We peacefully walked past the lobby and turned into the hallway that led to my room. I led Zsasz to my room, ignoring him as he turned up his nose at every smell and stain, just as I had when I first arrived at the Pixie. I mean, Zsasz had clearly been to the Pixie before when he dropped me off after the first time I went to the club, but he still didn’t feel comfortable. Granted, a lot was going on besides just a few nasty stains under our shoes. Something had Zsasz and Roman on high alert and they were both in panic mode. Maybe Zsasz was just trying to distract himself for a moment in all of the craziness that was going on around him.

As I finished unlocking the door and started pushing in, Zsasz followed tightly, but I stopped him with a palm on his chest before he could enter, “It’ll only be a few minutes, Zsasz. You can stand guard outside for now, if it’ll make you feel better.” Zsasz rolled his eyes while silently retreating back into the hallway. Again, the more he rolled his eyes at me, the less it hurt. 

The door closed on his face and automatically locked. I knew that Roman was paranoid about something happening as a result of Richard’s death, but I thought he was just being a tad overdramatic, and I didn’t need Zsasz to babysit me. I was a big girl and I could pack my things without Zsasz hovering over me, which would inevitably just slow me down.

I immediately got to work on packing everything I had brought to Gotham. There wasn’t much, but getting it all repacked in a hurry had shot my nerves, and I couldn’t work as efficiently as I had hoped. But I tried my best in order to keep Zsasz from just barging in. I’d be back at the club in a few minutes with my things and I would get to see Roman again, that was what kept me somewhat level headed, but I found that I was overly eager to get back.

When my patience was finally up, I started randomly throwing things in my suitcase, including all of the new clothes Roman had bought for me. There were dresses upon dresses, and expensive blouses and pants. What I had brought with me to Gotham seemed to stick out like a sore thumb in the mountain of designer clothes I now owned. Then, there was a box on the desk that I didn’t have time to check out before, but I now had all the time in the world.

I opened the box and gasped as I saw necklaces, bracelets, earrings, and rings all glowing in my face. Some were silver, others were gold, and few were diamond, but all were real and very expensive.  _ Holy shit, Roman _ . When he had Zsasz’s guys buy all of this shit for me, I didn’t think he would actually go and buy me fucking diamond earrings. I mean, we hadn’t known each other very well by that point. I couldn’t use the excuse  _ I see you and understand you _ like I was beginning to do now. Did he know all along or had he been crossing his fingers under the table this whole time that I wouldn’t just take all of the jewelry and run?

Whatever he thought a few days ago didn’t matter now. How we felt about each other and acted around each other had changed drastically. I would never run now. Not in a million years. I just had to thank him one way or another when I got back to the club.

So caught up in the fantasy of what Roman had in store for me, it didn't even cross my mind to think about what was going on in the hallway with Zsasz or out on the street with the perverts who used to stare at me. That was until I started hearing some ruckus outside my window. So I stopped packing for a minute to go investigate. I pulled the blanket I had hung up for privacy to the side, and what I saw utterly horrified me.

Two men in masks were running away from my window after attaching a hook and chain to the bars on my window like this was fucking Harry Potter. They were running away because attached to the other end of the chain was a huge fucking truck facing away from me, which was already in drive with full speed. The chain pulled at the tension between the bars and the truck for a short moment before half of the wall of my room was pulled off with the bars. In the chaos and debris of the crumbling wall, I was thrown back against the ground. 

Surely Zsasz had heard what was going on and he was going to help me. I had nothing to be worried about. “Mor!” he shouted through the door, and I could hear him pushing at it with force, but the fucking door had automatically locked when I told him to wait in the hall. “Mor!” he kept calling for me, but my head hurt from the thrust of being thrown back and I couldn’t scramble to my feet fast enough.

When the two men in masks jumped through the gaping hole in the wall, I started screaming for Zsasz’s help. I clawed at the comforter of the bed when they put their hands on me. I tried with every ounce of strength I had to not let go of the bedding while trying to kick at my attackers. One of them started peeling my hands from the comforter, and that was when they officially got me.

“Get the fuck off me, motherfuckers!” I kicked and cried.

They picked me up by my arms and legs to keep me from fighting them off, and they carried me out. That was when I heard the door forcefully burst open, and Zsasz stumbled into the empty room. We made eye contact as I screamed his name again. He took out his gun and started firing at my masked attackers as they threw me into the trunk of an unmarked car.

“Zsasz!” I cried as the trunk door was slammed down. I kicked at it, trying to fight my way out, to no avail. Bullets rained on the car, I could hear it clearly, but it wasn’t enough to stop my captors from driving away from the Pixie with me still locked in the car. “Roman!” I started calling like he could hear me from across the city, like he could magically appear and save me.  _ Fuck, he was right. I should’ve just stayed with him _ .

As we made our first few turns in the city, I tried to keep track of them so that if I was ever going to have a chance to escape. Right turn then drive for at least one block, left turn then drive for five blocks, left again… and so on. In my head I tried to imagine all of the outcomes and what I would do once we arrived at the secondary location. The trunk would open and I would have one chance to get the upper hand before anyone could touch me, Other scenarios included Zsasz having followed us and rescuing me the moment we came to a stop. I prayed that it would be Roman or Zsasz opening the trunk and not one of the masked men.

Two more right turns and a slow left turn before we came to a stop. “It’s all up to you right now, Mor.”

The engine to the car turned off and I heard two of the car doors open. I was likely dealing with at least three people. Two who took me, and one who drove the truck that took down the wall.

“Fuck it.”  _ No holding back. _ I watched the trunk door anxiously, and the moment I heard the lock pop, I pushed it open with force. I jumped out, ready to fight, but caught myself before I could do anything, “Shit,” I croaked when I saw four guns in my face. All four men stood in front of me wearing all black and hid their identities with masks, akin to the one Roman wore when we killed Richard. Before I could speak, cry for help, or even look around to figure out where I was, one of the men hit me in the head with the butt of his gun.

Hours must have passed until I regained consciousness because my captors were lounging around on couches and I was tightly bound to a chair in front of them. I inspected my surroundings, looking for my likeliest and nearest escape. I was being held in someone’s living room, and telling by the decor the owner was extremely wealthy because the living room looked similar to Richard’s. Beside me was a warm fire in a fireplace, and past the lounging men were boarded up glass windows, but between the wood boards I could see that it was still night time. There was absolutely no sign of Roman.

A tear slid down my cheek.

“Don’t cry,” the oldest of the group commented. Behind their masks I could get only a vague idea of who some of them were. For instance, the man who stood first and approached me was the youngest.

“Shut up,” one of the other men commented. “Tula will handle it.” God, I really hoped that wasn’t his real name. Tula was the man who was standing in front of me, and I flinched away from him when he dragged his thumb along my jawline.

“What do you want?” I croaked. I knew that it couldn’t possibly be money because they had a house like this to just hold someone hostage in. Maybe they wanted something Roman had? Maybe they wanted Roman? I wanted to throw up. Please, anything but him. Tula wiped away a tear from my chin. “Please…” I whispered a meaningless plea.

The leader stood from his seat and went to the decanter set on a small cart on the opposite side of the room. He poured himself a drink, “You took something from us,” he began.

I didn’t know what the hell he was talking about, but I would play along if I could. “What did I take? Please, I’ll give it back… Please…” I didn’t take anything. I knew that, Roman and Zsasz knew it, and you know it. So what the hell was the leader on about?

He chuckled, and so did Tula, taking a step away from me. The older man handed something to Tula. I gulped hard when I saw that Tula was now holding a torture kit very similar to the one Zsasz was fond of.  _ Shit _ . I cried. “What you stole can’t be returned,” the leader said, taking his drink back to his seat. Tula set the set of knives and other torture devices on the hearth above the fireplace. “That is, unless you can resurrect the dead.”

I whimpered. So Roman was right. There were people who would be really mad at us for killing Richard. Great. The good news was, when it came to Richard’s friends, I could’ve either been dealing with criminals he had connections with or it could have been some rich assholes who lost a lot of money because of his death. Now, within all of that was the really good news: telling by the place I was in, I wasn’t dealing with the criminal side of Richard’s friend group. Also, the likelihood that the criminals Richard was working with weren’t already in Roman’s pocket while looking for me were slim to none. So, I just had to deal with these assholes who had no idea how to really hurt someone for just a bit longer until Roman would find me. I could live with that.

Even though they had clearly caught me and definitely knew who I was, what I did, and what I meant to some powerful people in Gotham, I had to just play dumb, “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I cried. While I had previously been crying because I had genuinely been scared for my life, once I figured out what kind of guys I was dealing with, I wasn’t so inclined to cry anymore. But they had to think that I still feared them because I could use that to my favor.

The room erupted into laughter as the men tried to find humor in my little lie. Tula lifted up a tiny knife, which was actually not a good sign. You might be thinking to yourself that the smaller the knife, the less harm it could do, right? Wrong. If this Tula character actually knew how to use it, I’d be fucked. You know the shit I did to Richard with daggers…  _ Fuck, fuck, fuck.  _

“Ms. Wreef, playing dumb and innocent with us won’t work or make tonight any less painful. You played a part in the murder of a member of our group, and we have to seek revenge in his name now. We discussed it, and we knew that there was no chance of us getting to Roman Sionis directly, but getting to you would hurt him just as much, if not more, than if he were here instead of you. He’ll find your body in two days time on his doorstep and he’ll see everything we put you through, and then that  _ boy _ will finally know to stop fucking with us.”

“What fucking group?” I inquired, pulling at my restraints. Like, was it some of the board members from Janus or was he in some fucking cult? Looking at the masks, I was putting my money on cult. Just my luck. 

“We’re a part of a secret organization created by Richard Sionis called the False Face Society. Your boyfriend was once a part of our organization, set on becoming our next leader. But he was arrogant, young, and unpredictable. He valued nothing and held no respect for our traditions, so his father banished him. Now, he has killed our leader and we cannot allow this disrespect to pass without punishment.”

“But why me?” I felt the ropes loosen against my right wrist, but I didn’t make a show of it.

“Because you’re his little pet,” the leader spat.

I flinched back. What did he mean? Roman and I had only known each other for about a week and we’d only slept together one night. We weren’t even dating, though it was something I would have truly considered if I weren’t tied to a chair. So how could I have been Roman’s “pet”?

“That boy never loved anything or anyone but money and his mother. When he lost both, we all figured his life was over. He ignored everything by fucking anything with a pulse and spending his money recklessly. For years, I thought that boy would never amount to anything; but then he opened up that disgusting club of his, and actually managed to start up some business with some of the crime bosses in Gotham. But he never  _ loved _ anyone, even that white haired freak. Then all hell broke loose when he met you. He started getting reckless and dangerous again. The worst part of it all was that he actually thought it was love at first sight.” All of the men laughed. How could they possibly presume something like that? Unless— “If it’s love that he wants, then we shall give him the tragedy he so rightfully deserves.”

“You’ll start a war,” I commented. “If you think for a second that Roman will just let you get away with this, then you are sadly mistaken.”

“We’ll see about that, Ms. Wreef. Tula, begin,” the leader ordered.

Tula took a handful of drill nails in his hands without even flinching. He kneeled before me and gripped one of the nails between his index finger and thumb. When the nail first pierced the skin of my finger, it didn’t hurt too badly, but then Tula pushed the nail in all the way and I couldn’t bite my tongue anymore. The nail penetrated my skin and I screamed in pain, thrashing around in an attempt to squirm away, but one of the men came over to hold my shoulders down so I couldn’t move. Tula nodded a thank you to his confrère before taking the next nail and sliding it into my middle finger.

I fought against the man who was holding me down, but he only pressed hader, “The more you move, the more it hurts,” he whispered sensually in my ear. I whipped my head back to hit his face and throw him off balance. It worked. “That  _ bitch _ !” He stumbled back, holding his nose, “She broke my fucking nose, Bade!” Bade, the leader of the group shrugged. “Let’s just fucking kill her and get this over with.”

“ _ No _ ,” Bade and Tula hissed together.

“We have a plan,” Bade explained more calmly. “Take a seat, Quint.”

“Joseph?” Quint asked the older man for back up, but there was none. So with a broken nose and wounded ego, Quint took a seat.

As Tula moved to put the third nail in my ring finger, I wiggled my wrists around again and felt the restraints on my right hand loosen again, just enough that if I messed with it enough that I’d be able to slide my hand out before he was done torturing my left hand. To keep myself distracted from the next nail Tula was putting in my pinky, I pulled at my right hand’s restraints and played it off like I was squirming in pain. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Quint palm himself through his pants and the taste of bile was rising in my throat.

Tula turned back to his torture kit to get more nails for my other hand, but while he was turned, I pulled my hand out from under the restraints, snatched one of the nails from my fingers and waited for Tula to turn back around before I dug the nail into his eye. He groaned and stumbled back while I quickly made work of untying my hands. The other men stood from their comfortable positions on the couches in order to stop me. 

“Dumb fucking bitch,” Joseph growled as he tripped me on my way out of the living room I was being held hostage in. I fell flat on my face, feeling the pain of the nails in my fingers moving around. “There’s four of us and one of you.”

I groaned and turned over onto my back, holding my stomach in order to try and catch my breath. None of them took any pity on me as Quint and Bade picked me up and put me back in the chair. Tula ran off to another part of the house to stop the bleeding from his eye while Old Joseph took his seat again. This time, the boys made sure to tie me down with more rope. They tied my arms twice, both of my feet, and one tight rope around my chest and shoulders for good measure.  _ Well, shit. It was worth a shot. _

“Give her some of that medicine Tula brought. It’ll knock her out long enough for us to discuss what we’re going to do,” Bade said.

Quint struggled to pick up the medicine vial and syringe from Tula’s kit with a steady hand. I started to cry because I realized just how badly I had fucked up. All this show they were giving me all this work towards torturing me rather than just killing me on the spot was all to get back at Roman. Of course, I had a part in Roman’s death. Obviously. But they weren’t trying to get back at me for years’ worth of problems like they were with Roman. They were just likely to figure out a way to take care of me and Roman like two birds with one stone.

After Quint poked and prodded me with the needle filled with god-knows-fucking-what, the three men took a seat and cheered to an amazing day. I fought for a few minutes to keep my eyes open, no longer feeling the sting in my fingers or my lungs. My body was starting to pass out, and I wanted with everything I had to not let it. I just wanted to… 


	15. Letting My Demons Go

Roman was holding me in his arms as we relaxed in one of the booths at The Black Mask Club. It was just us, just as he had done for me the night we stayed up talking. But Dinah was there, and she was singing our song for us. It was peaceful and it was perfect. Nothing could upset this moment, I thought as my cheek found Roman’s shoulder and I leaned into him while holding one of his gloved hands in my gloved hands. RBS and MTW, both in gold, both perfect in every way. 

Dinah finished her song and the spotlight on her faded as the rest of the club’s lights dimmed. Nothing seemed out of place, and nothing seemed to bother us. All that mattered was how I felt in Roman’s arms, and how he felt while holding me. He was so warm pressed against me, and his suit was so soft against my skin. I found myself laying down in the booth with my head in his lap just so that I could be comfortable and look at his handsome face for a little bit. I kept one hand intertwined with his while his other hand played with my curls like he enjoyed doing, and my other hand caressed his tired face. He smiled down at me.

“I’m the happiest I’ve ever been,” I whispered. “Is that crazy?” Roman shook his head and kissed my palm. “I want to stay like this forever.” 

“We’ll do anything you want.”

“Do you wonder what our lives would be like if we had never met?”

“I think we’d both be very lonely. You’d still be lost in the world and I’d be so lonely I’d go mad.”

“You’re already mad,” I teased.

He chuckled quietly, “So are you, Ms. Morgana.”

“I love it when you say my name.”

“I know.”

“I think—” I started speaking, but I came to a sudden halt. My face twisted in pain and Roman started to worry. “Rom—” It was like I couldn't breathe. I was gasping for air, but there was nothing. I sat up urgently and pointed at my chest to let him know what was going on, “Help—” He tried shushing me soothingly in order to calm me so that I could find the way to breathe again, but it wasn’t helping. My lungs had decided to give up on me. “Roman—” I cried, hitting at my chest. Water started trickling from my mouth slowly. Water had replaced air in my lungs, and I was choking on it. “Roman—”

He kissed my forehead, “I’m here, baby. I’m here.”

But I still couldn’t breathe, and I couldn’t remember what he fucking looked like. The feeling of his warm and soft suit faded, his hands and lips left my body, and then all of him was gone. Scared out of my mind, and still coughing up water, I fell out of the booth, and then the club, too, disappeared from my memory.

_ What’s happening to me? _ I tried screaming Roman’s name again, but all that could be heard was the gurgling from my throat. I clawed at my chest as I hunched forward, hitting at the floor until my knuckles were bleeding.  _ Someone help me!  _ Suddenly, I was no longer dressed up in the clothes Roman had picked out for our night down in the club. I was wearing a white v-neck shirt and black shorts— both of which were soaked with water. My hair fell in my face and I realized that it was soaking wet, too.  _ What the fuck? _

I took in a deep breath of fresh air as Tula pulled me out of the water by my hair. I desperately tried to shake off the water from my eyes and find enough air for my lungs to thrive again. As the water cleared from my eyes, I opened them to find myself being held in the pool in the mansion I was being kept in.

I struggled to be let go from Tula’s grip, but he only helped himself by adding another hand around my neck. I whimpered and stopped moving. The weights tied to my feet were starting to hurt my ankles, and the ropes around my wrists were beginning to really dig in to the point of drawing blood. As the chlorine hit the cuts under the ropes and around the nails in my fingers, I cried out.

All four men were in the pool room with me, and they were all watching me like I was a character on a movie screen rather than a real person. I asked myself if how I felt in that moment was the same way Richard felt about me and Roman before we killed him.

_ Roman. _

“Please, just let me have a moment,” I begged. “Just a min—”

Tula laughed and submerged me under the pool again before I had a chance to take in a gulp of air. The weights did their job by dragging me to the floor of the pool while I cried out Roman’s name again.  _ Take me back. Let me dream it again, _ I begged my thoughts, but no one was fucking listening to me, not even my own subconscious. All there was to do was focus on not letting my lungs fill up with water and kill me.

I should probably catch you up while we have a second, I suppose. Remember how they told me I only had two days before they’d kill me and leave me on Roman’s door step. Well, it was finally day two, and my four captors decided that drowning me was the best way of going about killing me. It was smart, I guess. I mean, it’s what I would have done if I were in their shoes. They had been debating the most painful way of killing me while also trying to make it look like an accident. Spending the day drowning me was a long and tedious task, but Quint was certainly enjoying it, and Tula wasn’t bored yet. So they continued to have their fun by seeing how long I could stay under water before I died. This had been going on for at least two hours. 

_ Fun! _

Tula pulled me up again. “Motherfuck—” I tried yelling, but he pushed me back under before I could finish. That one was my fault, I’ll admit that, but I also figured that the more I encouraged them, the faster they’d get bored and move onto something less detrimental to my long term health. That was, if I ever managed to escape or someone found me in time. It was also in the hope that after they would inevitably get bored, they wouldn’t just slit my throat and call it a day.

All this fighting to stay alive and I just prayed that it was enough pay off to save Roman. I couldn’t let these total asshats use me as a message to Roman because I knew that if they did that, Roman’s life would spin into total chaos again. Zsasz liked to remind me constantly that Roman enjoyed controlling things, and even now, with me missing, he was out of control and surely losing his shit. If I ended up dead on his front doorstep, all of Gotham would burn down in his attempt for revenge. Basically, the cycle between Roman and the False Face Society would continue. An eye for an eye kind of thing, but never ending because someone always has to have the last say.

I thought about one of the last things Roman said to me: “Don’t dish it if you can’t take it.” Maybe we should have thought of that before we decided to kill Richard. Maybe we should have stopped to consider that something bigger than Richard’s crimes was at play, and we had more to lose after meeting each other. We wouldn’t have ended up in this situation if we didn’t get caught up in the moment.

A few minutes had passed with me struggling underwater, and I waited for Tula to pull me up again and wait for me to see Quint touching himself before pushing me back under. But nothing happened. It was getting harder to hold my breath, and I feared that the water might find its way into my lungs again like it had when I was dreaming of Roman.  _ Shit _ . So they finally grew the balls to just leave me there. So much for my plan.

I screamed, sending bubbles up to the surface so they knew I was still alive and still fighting as a last resort to have them pull me up. Instinct was starting to take over and I was desperately trying to fight the natural thought to breathe in for air because I knew that I’d only end up drowning. I screamed again and fought against the weights keeping me down, trying to swim up to the surface, but to no avail.  _ This is it. This is the shittiest way to die. _

My eyes shot open while I tried to figure out where each of the four men were. I saw the figure of Tula standing at the edge just above me, but I didn’t see any of the others.  _ What? Quint decided he really didn’t think a boner was appropriate for this? Bade doesn’t have the stomach? Old Joseph couldn’t watch? Why is it just Tula? _ Something was wrong, that was what I had concluded. There was no reason for all four of them to not be present and happy to see me suffer.

The realization dawned on me quickly when blood spilled into the pool and Tula’s body was pushed in. Shocked and quite distrubed, I tried swimming away from the blood and the body, rather than fight my way up. The weights dragged along the floor with me, but not fast enough.  _ So now I’m going to choke on someone else’s blood until I die. I lied, drowning is worse. Let’s go back to that, please.  _ Yes, the question of why Tula was now dead in the pool had not yet occurred to me, and I blame it on the lack of oxygen and my state of shock, okay?

Someone reached into the pool and lifted me out by wrapping their arms under my shoulders. Whoever it was, they lifted me onto the concrete beside the pool and laid me on my side while they untied my bonds. I coughed up a bit of water onto the floor, then used my newly freed hands to wipe away the chlorine from my face. As I balanced my equilibrium and sat up, I saw that it was Zsasz who had rescued me. His face was fuzzy, but I’d recognize his white hair and body scars anywhere.

“Next time, I go in with you. Got it?” Zsasz questioned.

I nodded, “Whatever you say, Zsasz.”

“Let’s get you out of here, little rose.”

He started picking me up onto my feet to lead me out, but I stopped him, “Wait, Zsasz.” He stopped in his tracks, “There’s others. It wasn’t just him,” I gestured to Tula.

“You think I’d come alone? Fuck that. Roman made me bring an entire army. The whole fucking city’s been out looking for you.” He was pulling me along again, but I stayed put. “I don’t have time for this right now, Mor. Roman’s on the verge of killing me because I let you out of my sight. Let’s just go home and you can be frustrating all you want.” But I didn’t move. “I will literally fucking carry you out of here right fucking now if you don’t start walking.”

“I can’t go back, Zsasz.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean I can’t go back to the club, okay. They took me to get to Roman. People are going to keep doing that until I’m dead and he’s broken. We can’t give them that.”

Zsasz rolled his eyes and threw me over his shoulder, “Enough with this boring teenage soap opera shit. If you want out, you talk to Roman like a big girl.”

“Put me down, Zsasz!” I shouted while hitting at his back.

He was carrying me around the inside of the mansion. As we twisted and turned through the long corridors, I saw the blood on the walls and floors, trailing to the front door. The army Zsasz referenced was standing around with weapons in their hands, waiting for Zsasz’s next order. As we walked out of the mansion, the men followed. They closed the door behind the last man to leave then followed us to the line of cars waiting out front. As I rested on Zsasz’s shoulder, I looked back at the mansion that had haunted me for two days.

My breath hitched, “Holy shit…” I looked to the left of the house, just down the road, and I saw Richard’s mansion. All this time I had been held hostage in Richard’s neighbor’s home. “Holy fucking shit.” One of them was Richard’s neighbor. 

Zsasz helped me off his shoulder and onto my feet before cornering me into the car at the front of the convoy. Zsasz climbed in after me and slammed the door shut. The driver didn’t waste a moment to start off on the road, passing Richard’s house before making a U-turn so that we could head onto the main road.

“How did you find me?” I asked Zsasz.

“Some kid who had connections to the Society ratted on the men who took you.”

“Where’s Roman?”

“At the club.”

“How is he?”

Zsasz laughed, “Take a guess.” He pulled out his phone and started a call. The phone rang three times before it was answered. “I found her.” Silence. “She’s shaken, but she’s strong so she’ll be fine.” Silence again. “She doesn’t want to come back to the—”

I reached over for Zsasz’s phone and snatched it from him, “Roman, you have to get me out of this fucking city,” I said urgently into the call.

“What the fuck are you talking about?” Roman growled. “You’re not fucking going anywhere. Never again. I fucking promise, baby; just come back, ‘kay?”

“Roman, I can’t fucking do this anymore. I shouldn’t have done what I did. I knew that, but I was so caught up in the moment. A lot of people want me dead now. A lot of people want to hurt you, and they can only do that by getting to me first. I can’t do this, Roman…” I cried. “Please.”

There was static on the call for a beat, and I feared that he had put down the phone and walked away. I needed him to hear me. I needed him to believe me. I needed out so fucking bad. This wasn’t just about us anymore, even though I so badly wanted it to be. It was about what we fucking did, and the consequences that came with it. We fucking killed someone. Together. It didn’t matter how powerful Roman was. He could pay off the cops all he wanted to keep their noses of our scent, but that didn’t stop Batman or anyone else who wanted us to atone for our sins.

The worst part of this was… I wasn’t even leaving because I was scared. I was leaving because I didn’t want Roman to get hurt, but I supposed that leaving would hurt him enough. But it was different. If I left, Roman could get over it, or maybe I could even return to Gotham one day and we could fix things. But if I was dead… Roman would never get over it. Never. I knew that. I had to take measures to protect him. It was all for him.

I heard Roman sniffle, and I knew he was still there, “Roman?” I cooed. I thought about how this conversation would have played out if we were face to face. I’d be crying, just as I was over the phone, holding his face in my hands, and he’d be holding me. I’d wipe away any tears he’d let fall down his cheek with my thumb, and I’d kiss him again and again because I’d know it would be the last time. I’d kiss him like the world was ending and I wanted him to be my last memory. “Roman…”

Roman cleared his throat, “Whatever you want, I’ll make sure it happens. Just… take the night to think about it, ‘kay? I got a safehouse out in the forest at the edge of the city. No one will find you there, I promise. Zsasz can take you there. No one will lay you a finger, baby, I promise. Just, please. Do this for me.”

“Roman—”

“Say yes. Please,” he pleaded. Roman didn’t plead normally. He wasn’t the type. Even when he originally came to me for my help with Richard, he only asked, and he was prepared for if I were to say “no” and he had a back up plan. He never once begged me for anything other than… well… “Morgana…”

_ That’s not fair. He knows that it’s not fair.  _ “Fine.” What the hell was I thinking? I should have said no. He told me he’d help me leave, and I believed him. If I just would have said no, then I’d be on the first flight out of Gotham and he’d be safe. I wanted to rest my forehead against his and hear him say “Mine” like he did the night we finally saw each other’s true selves. I wanted him to hold me and tell me everything was going to be alright.

“Give the phone back to Zsasz, baby.”

I desperately tried to think of an excuse to not give up the phone, to find a reason to hear his voice again. Trying to leave him and save him was like trying to quit smoking. No matter what I did, I always thought about him over and over again. I couldn’t be rid of the feelings I had for him, even though I wanted to be so that it was easier to say goodbye.

Zsasz gently took the phone from me and listened to Roman’s next orders. “You sure, boss?” Silence. “Okay. I’ll stay with her, and a few of the guys will keep watch.” Silence. “We’ll see you in the morning.” Silence. “Night, boss.” And then he hung up. “You’ve done a real number on him, you know that, right?”

“I’m so sorry, Zsasz. I know this isn’t what you want.”

“What I want is for Roman to be safe and happy. He needs me to look out for him and keep him safe, but he needs you to keep him happy. It is what it is, Mor.”

What he said shocked me. Zsasz and I never got along, but in that moment it felt like we could one day… If I didn’t leave.

The drive to outside the city took about an hour. Once we left the main road and headed down a dirt path, it took another twenty minutes until we arrived at a small cottage deep in the woods. It was the perfect, little cottage core home lost in the woods. The brick was painted a mustard yellow color, and had been worn by time and the weather. Flowers and vines crawled along the bricks, which was likely what was keeping the house together on the windy days. Then, the roof itself was put together with brown tiles that oddly reminded me of Italy.

Zsasz and the men filling the two cars behind us got out. He ordered them to search the area while I planted my feet on the dirt ground. I hadn’t seen a dirt path in forever… It felt so nice beneath my feet and between my toes. Somehow it reminded me of home. I mean, not  _ my _ home, but the idea of the word home. It made me think about how I saw my life being if I had my shit together.

“Come along,” Zsasz encouraged, waiting to follow me inside. I looked up at the house and saw there was a guard standing there, signaling that the house was safe. We headed up the cobblestone path after leaving behind the dirt road, and into the house we went. It was bigger on the inside than it looked from the outside. There was a small entryway, but just past that, to the right, was a large living room with two green couches facing each other and a large glass table between them.

“What is this place?” I inquired while running my hand over an antique vase.

“Roman’s mother’s home.”

I retreated my hand and kept to myself, “I didn’t—”

“Don’t get weird about it. She’s been dead since forever. Let’s get you situated upstairs.” I followed Zsasz up the dark wooden stairs and around the corner into a bedroom. The bed sat in the middle of the room, covered with blue and green sheets and blankets, and to the right of it was a large wardrobe. Zsasz approached it and opened it, “Try these on,” he pulled out a pair of pajamas. I took them from him and waited, expecting him to walk outside while I changed. “Go on.”

“Aren’t you going to wait outside?”

“Did you miss the part when I did that last time and shit hit the fan?”

“Zsasz, we’re out in the middle of nowhere.”

“I don’t give a shit. Besides, I’ve already seen everything there is to see, have I not?”

“Zsasz…”

“I’m not going, rose, but I don’t want you to freeze to death in those wet clothes. So just change into the goddamn pajamas and get into bed.”

“Just… turn around first…” I asked of him. He agreed and turned his back to me while I slowly peeled off my wet clothes and put on the warm pajamas I was given. “Why are there women’s pajamas in Roman’s safe house?”

When Zsasz heard me shuffling under the covers on the bed, he turned back around. He took a seat in the chair in the corner of the room. “You’re not the first girlfriend to get spooked and need a place to stay.”

I looked down at my hands,  _ Well, when you put it like that… How many women have slept in this bed? How many women have worn these clothes? How many women did Roman— It’s not important anymore. It’s just one night and then we can all move on with our lives. One night, that’s all it takes. _


	16. Part Three

Demons Inside Us Both. A Roman Sionis Fanfiction Novel.

Roman Sionis x Morgana “Mor” Wreef (OC).

Part Three. Living with the Devil.

Six Chapters. Warnings of descriptive violence, murder, harassment, and sex.


	17. Hell is Just a Club in Disguise

My face was still puffy in the morning. The silk sheets and feather pillows helped comfort me in the night when I managed to fall asleep every now and again, but sleeping in an empty bed just didn’t feel right. It wasn’t that I felt unsafe— because how could I feel unsafe when Zsasz was hovering over me like a vulture— but I just missed having the weight of Roman beside me, his arms around me, his breath hot on my ear, his lips occasionally brushing against my neck.

That was what used to feel safe. But the honeymoon period fell apart just as soon as it had begun for us. I was no longer entirely blinded by the love that I had been craving for years, because the violence of it all made me see the truth of what mine and Roman’s life would be. Dangerous. Not just for me, but for Roman, too. Love was the biggest target between us, and his enemies in Gotham would undoubtedly exploit it until one or both of us were dead.

Zsasz was careful with me when I woke up entirely, which was a strange change of pace. He normally hated my guts because I took Roman’s attention away from him, but I think some part of him understood that I was on the verge of breaking after what happened. There was only so much I could take. And I think he also knew that the choice I made, the one to leave Gotham, was in Roman’s best interest. And all Zsasz ever wanted to do was protect Roman. We had that in common. So he was gentle as he sat on the bed and put a hand over mine to comfort me.

I rolled over to face him and stared at him with red eyes. I wanted him to tell me that it was going to be alright, that I was doing the right thing by leaving; but he didn’t say anything. He just stayed with me until I inquired about breakfast and my flight out of Gotham. “The boss wants to meet with you first, to check on you. He’s got everything ready if you still want to leave—”

“I do.”

“That’s something you gotta say to his face, rose. There’s a jet on standby and everything. You say the word and you’re out of here before you can say ‘Gotham’.”

Zsasz and I stared at each other for a moment while I counted the scars on his face. My heart turned on its head, “I can’t see him, Zsasz.”

Making the choice to leave was hard enough, but having to face Roman… I couldn’t bear it. Everything I was had become dedicated to Roman because he saw and appreciated the real me, and I returned the feelings. Having to look him in the eyes one last time, and likely lie to him by telling him he meant nothing to me, was worse than death itself. It would have been easier to never see Roman again, and maybe forget about him one day. Roman knew that if he didn’t see me one last time, that would be the end of it. I knew about the little game he was going to pull with me. He’d beg for me to stay, offering everything and anything. Though he owed me nothing and wouldn’t have to give me anything to stay, I couldn’t look into his bright blue eyes for another second without thinking about how it felt to touch him and to be with him.

“Unfortunately, it’s not a request. Roman might not be able to get you under control because of some lovey-dovey shit going on in his head, but I have no problem with it. He asked to see you one more time; and that’s what we’re going to do. After that, I’d be more than happy to drive you to the airport myself. Do we understand each other?”

“Yes, princess, do you?”  _ He  _ whispered in my ear.  _ No, no, no. Fuck off.  _ Ever since I met Roman,  _ He  _ hadn’t shown his face to me. Not even when I was at my weakest point yesterday. Why was  _ He  _ choosing now to torture me? “Because it’ll be just us two again soon enough, princess. No more distractions. I always told you boys were never any good, and you never believed me. But you’ll be mine again, princess. Don’t you worry.”  _ Make it stop. Please. I can’t deal with you today. This is already hard enough.  _ “Oh, I know, princess,” he cooed sensually. “But it’s for the best, isn’t it?”  _ You don’t know anything about this.  _ “I know everything, princess. I’m literally your subconscious.”  _ So, then, fuck off.  _ “I’ll see you later, princess.”

“Earth to Mor,” Zsasz waved his hand in my face.

I shook off the illusion of  _ Him  _ sitting on my bed and smiled at Zsasz, “Sorry, I got a little distracted.” I pushed the covers off my body and turned to sit on the edge of the mattress, my back to Zsasz and my face to the windows. It was bright outside and I could see the large garden outside the house and the forest just beyond it. It was such a beautiful place and an even better view to wake up to. For a fleeting moment, I wished that I could have been there with Roman. I thought about him showing me around his mother’s home, telling me stories while holding me beside the fireplace, taking me on walks in the woods, and making love to me in the garden outside. “Did Roman grow up here?”

Zsasz sat in his chair again, “Only in the summers. His father insisted on sending him to the most prestigious academy in the city, but he could come out here in the summers to find some peace.”

“It’s beautiful…”

Zsasz agreed. “It’s easy to get lost out here— physically and mentally. Sometimes you forget about the craziness of the world outside and all you can think about is how simple life is out here.”

I looked over my shoulder at him, “That’s very wise, Zsasz.” He was looking down at his hands, picking at his fingernails. “I didn’t think you’d be the type to get lost out here.” Zsasz didn’t respond, and I realized that he had admitted something to me that he hadn’t admitted to anyone else before, perhaps not even Roman. He looked almost ashamed that he had let himself slip and that I saw him as something other than the psychopath he made everyone else see him as. He had peeled away a layer for me. That was the greatest gesture he could have given me. “It was love, wasn’t it?”

Zsasz looked up at me through his lashes for a moment, considering what reaction he’d give me. I prayed that he’d be honest because it was very likely that I would never see him again after leaving The Black Mask Club one last time. His eyes looked to the flowers outside and he slowly gave one nod. So Victor Zsasz had been in love before. It was true, then. He really did have a heart. Under all of the scars and the sociopathic behavior was a man who was just heartbroken.

I turned back to the window, “I’m sorry,” I whispered. Neither of us wanted to talk about it, I could tell, but I  _ needed  _ to know or I’d go crazy. “Does it get easier,” there was an eerie silence while I carefully picked my next words. “knowing that you’ll never get to see them again?”

Zsasz scoffed, “It’s not the same, little rose. I don’t get a second chance. I don’t get a goodbye. I get to live with the fact that they’re gone and it’s my fault. You get a choice in all of this, and you’re choosing to let go, and Roman’s giving you the chance to say goodbye. No, it doesn’t get any easier because I know that I will never fucking see them again. You and Roman… you have the rest of your lives to sort your shit out.”

“I didn’t mean to—“

“You should get dressed,” he interrupted. “We leave in thirty minutes.”

The weight of a stack of clothes being thrown on the bed shook the mattress slightly. Zsasz turned his chair to face the wall while he waited for me to sort the clothes and get dressed. I let out a deep and regretful sigh before pushing myself to my feet. My fingers were already aching from the pain of having the nails in them, and I inquired about going to a hospital to seek treatment. Still facing the wall, Zsasz said they didn’t deal with hospitals, but he had what we needed to get the nails out.  _ What the fuck does that mean?  _ I worried.

After I got dressed in the white floral blouse and green dress pants, Zsasz directed and followed me to the kitchen. There were armed guards outside the front door and sitting on the couches in the living room as we passed by, but none of them turned to look at us. In the kitchen, Zsasz dismissed a guard who was standing at another door that led to the backyard.

“Sit,” he demanded. I took a seat at the counter as I watched him dig into the liquor cabinet for a bottle of vodka, and then into another drawer for a butter knife. “Drink this to wash this down,” Zsasz said, putting the bottle of vodka and two pills in front of me. “They’ll help with the pain, but it’ll still hurt like a bitch.”

The realization dawned on me, “Fuck, no, Zsasz. You’re not pulling out ten nails embedded in my fingers with a fucking butter knife.”

“They’re not even that fucking deep. It’s like having a fucking thumb tack in there. Drink,” he opened the bottle. “I would’ve done it last night when you were still fucked up on whatever shit they gave you, but you needed a break and some sleep.” Zsasz took the seat next to me at the counter while I picked up the pills and popped them in my mouth before washing them down with the vodka.  _ Mixing drugs and alcohol isn’t exactly ideal right now, either, Zsasz. But, hey, what the fuck do I know? _ “The good news is, they look to be roofing nails.” I raised a brow behind the bottle I was still chugging. “That means they’re one of the smallest and thinnest you could possibly find to torture someone with.”  _ Oh, that’s… comforting?  _ “Like I said, think of it like a thumb tack.”

“I’ve stepped on a thumb tack before, Zsasz, and I’d much rather prefer it to this.”

Zsasz rolled his eyes.  _ There he is.  _ “You’ll bleed for a bit, but nothing too bad on the inside; especially since the fucker didn’t even put them in all the way. If it were me, I would’ve—“

“Let’s not.”

Zsasz stole the bottle from me and replaced it with a wooden spoon he grabbed from over the counter. “Bite down on this.”

I looked at the spoon, then my aching fingers, then the butter knife in his hand, “One more,” I said, stealing the bottle back and taking another swig. “This is fucking insane,” I muttered before biting down on the handle of the spoon.

Zsasz took one of my hands and poured some of the vodka on it to sterilize it. I flinched and screamed, but he held me steady. He started with my thumb, taking the edge of the butter knife and using it to hook against the flat edge of the nail that was sticking out and pull. I screamed a line of curse words and kicked the floor. He waited for me to calm down a bit more before moving on to my index finger. As he yanked out the nail, I cursed and kicked again. With every nail he pulled out of my hand, it only seemed to get harder for me to sit up straight. Between the shock, the drugs, and the alcohol, I was a goner.

“See… thumb tacks,” Zsasz joked after finishing the first hand. One of the guards walked in with two roles of bandages. “Leave them and go.” The man did as he was told. “How are you feeling, rose?” he asked, pulling the spoon from my mouth and handing me the vodka. I drank while he bandaged up my fingers. “Sounds about right.” Zsasz traded the spoon for the bottle again and we started on the next hand. By my middle finger, my body was completely numb, and I didn’t feel anything but the initial pull of the nails. After that, all I felt was tingling in my whole body and my mind telling me to think about anything else. Then, when we were done, Zsasz bandaged up that hand. “That wasn’t so bad, now, was it?”

I spit out the spoon, “Yeah,” I answered with a sarcastic enthusiasm, “let’s do you next.”

“Ha ha,” he said dully. “Now, The Black Mask Club.”

My eyes widened, “With me looking and feeling like this? Fucking  _ no _ !”

Zsasz rolled his eyes and threw me over his shoulder. I was starting to get really sick and tired of being carried over someone’s shoulder, “The drive there is over two hours. That’s plenty of time for you to sleep this off in the car.”

This time around, I didn’t kick and hit Zsasz. Feeling loopy already, I let him carry me to the car and lay me down across the back seats before he took the front passenger's seat. We waited for the rest of the guards who had come with us to pile into the other cars behind us before heading back out onto the dirt path.

As I laid on the seats, I looked through the sunroof to watch the peaks of the trees pass by. Falling into a drug fueled trance, I soon fell asleep, heeding Zsasz’s words that I’d feel better by the time we reached The Black Mask Club.

“You love him, don’t you?”  _ He  _ asked once I was vulnerable and asleep. I tried my best to ignore  _ Him _ . “Come on, princess. You could never lie to me. Remember?”

_ If I tell you that I do, will you finally just leave me alone? _

_ He  _ chuckled, “You know, there was a brief period after you met him where I thought you’d never see me again. But you continue to surprise me, princess.”

_ I told you a long time ago to stop calling me that. I don’t belong to you anymore. _

“You’ll always be my little princess, because when you finally say goodbye to him and leave all this nonsense behind, it’ll just be us again. You won’t have any more distractions to keep me from you.”

_ I’ve gotten rid of you twice before. I can do it again. Third time’s always a charm, that’s what you always said. _

“It won’t be easy without him, know that, princess.”

_ Shut up. _

“You’ll miss him, and I’ll feed on that. But you already know that.”

_ Shut up. _

“Heartbreaks are the worst, princess, but I’ll be there for you every step of the way.”

“Fuck off!” I shouted as I sat upright. Zsasz flinched and backed out of the car. Once I shook off the dream and brought myself back to reality, I realized that we were parked in the alleyway outside of The Black Mask Club, and Zsasz had shaken me awake. “We’re here already?” I inquired, taking Zsasz’s hand and pulling myself out of the car.

He lifted me to my feet, “Two hours and fifteen minutes later.” I braced myself on his shoulder as I slipped my shoes back on. “Feeling any better?” I nodded. I felt immensely better. My fingers only ached now and again, but I was no longer drowsy and loopy, which was nice. “I’ll give you another dose later to help with the pain. For now…” he pointed upwards to where Roman’s penthouse was. I looked up and saw Roman watching us through the large windows. My heart skipped a beat and I asked myself if it was too late to make a run for it. “The decision is still yours,” Zsasz reminded me. “He’ll fight to keep you, but it’s your choice.”

“If your… Well, if  _ they  _ were still here and you could’ve saved them by saying goodbye, what would you do?”

Zsasz shook his head, refusing to answer my question. It was my choice, and I had to decide without Zsasz convincing me one way or the other, even though he’d probably love to see me gone so that things between him and Roman could return to normal. Even then, he still didn’t want to make my mind up for me. Last night, I thought I knew exactly what I wanted, and that was to leave Gotham and save Roman. Then, just as Roman and Zsasz had assumed, the night seemed to change my mind. The drama of it all had left my head and I could think clearly, and I knew how badly I wanted Roman. But it still didn’t change the fact that there were people out there who wanted to hurt both me and him, and they’d use us against each other. 

It was like I teleported up the steps to the penthouse after sneaking through the back of the club, not even stopping to look in one last time. Zsasz opened the door for me, but he didn’t join me with my first step inside. I looked at him nervously, but he nudged me inside, making me stumble a few steps.

_ Shit _ .

Roman hurried around the corner at an alarming rate. He was wearing his maroon suit and red sunglasses to hide his red eyes, but I could spot them from a mile away.  _ Jesus, he really is a wreck.  _ He took me in his arms without hesitating, “Thank god.”

My arms wrapped around his waist and I held him close, thinking about how it could very well be the last time I held him close. He lifted my chin with his finger and he kissed me deeply, and I kissed back. Every touch and every word could be the last we would share between each other, and I had to savor every moment.

“Tell me you’re okay,” he begged. I nodded, letting my forehead fall against his chest. He smelled so good… and he was so warm and inviting… His arms held me like a blanket protecting me from the demons outside… I sighed and felt safe again. “I was worried sick. I had the whole fucking city looking for you and I—” he was panting and shaking. 

“It’s over, Roman. It’s done.” I had to be cold with him, I knew that. I had to be distant and horrible so that it would be easier to say goodbye, but every word felt like a dagger twisting in my chest. “I’m fine.”

He exhaled carefully, trying not to disturb me as I rested against him. “I feared the worst… I feared I’d never see you again.” I pushed myself off his chest and used my sleeve to wipe my wet cheeks and irritated nose. “Did you think about staying?” I nodded. “So you’ll stay?” I shook my head. “But—”

“I could have died, Roman,” I told him roughly.

“But you didn’t. You’re—”

“And I didn’t even care if they would have killed me,” I admitted and Roman flinched at the thought. “I didn’t care because death doesn’t scare me. It’s easy and natural to die, and I was prepared for it. But I knew that you wouldn’t be able to live with it… So I wanted to stay alive for you. It’s easy to die for someone, but it’s harder to stay alive for them, but I wanted that for you. I still fucking want that for you, Roman. And the safest place to do that is somewhere el—”

“The  _ safest  _ place to do that is here, by my side. I knew I shouldn’t have let you leave. I had a feeling, but I ignored it because I didn’t want to suffocate you with my protection, or scare you off with my obsession. But, Mor, you know that darkness in you is the same darkness in me. I know you remember the way it feels when we touch,” he said as his touch ghosted over my hand, and I nearly melted. “I want you here with me.”

“I want to. More than you know, but I don’t want you to get hurt, either. That makes me sound so fucking cliché, but it’s true. I’m a fucking cliché now…”

Roman took my hands in his and looked at me, “Baby, listen, ‘kay. I know you want to leave, but I’ve handled everything. Now, we can just try to get things back to normal, prove that you’re a force that won’t be moved. I think you know that you would fucking flourish here. With me. By my side.”

My head was spinning, “None of this makes any sense.  _ I’m  _ not making any sense—“

“I know. I know that what you’ve had to go through the past few days hasn’t made much sense, and it isn't fair what you’ve had to endure. I know that  _ this  _ doesn’t make much sense right now _.  _ But there’s one thing I know for sure that makes sense and it’s you, Mor. I don’t know why it does or what we really are or how this is going to work, all I know is that I need you here with me. I don’t want to lose you, Mor. We don’t need to know all of the answers right now because we’ll learn as we go. And someday we’ll make sense of this situation, and it should be together. Side by side. No more of this ‘will they, won’t they’ bullshit and dancing around what we both feel. You want to stay just as badly as I want you to. I know it because I know the real you.”

“I’m trying to save you, Roman, and you’re making it really fucking difficult.”

“And I’m trying to save you!” he bellowed. “You think that either of us will be happy if you leave?”

My breath sputtered and I held my face in my hands before wiping away my tears. He was right, of course. We’d both be utterly miserable, but that was just one more thing to add to the list of things that didn’t make sense with us. “Why me, Roman? You could have anyone you want,” I thought about the girlfriends Zsasz referenced back at the cottage, “because men and women are lining up for you, Roman, but you choose me  _ every time _ . Why? Why do you  _ insist _ on seeing me as special?”

“Because you  _ fucking are _ ! And the fact that you can’t accept that  _ infuriates _ me. I’ve told you again and again that you are the only person who fucking sees me. And I have told you again and again that I see you, and you’ve told me that you appreciate that. I’m sick of playing this game where you are trying to just push me away and I keep trying to pull you back. When are you going to just fucking accept that you’re the only one I want and I’m not going to let go? I don’t give a flying fuck if all of Gotham wants to date me. The only person I care about is you, Morgana. And I’m sick of you pretending that you don’t believe me because you think it’s going to save me. I’m not entirely fragile, Mor. I’m just as broken as you, but I won’t fall apart if you are  _ here _ . So just... fucking kiss me, let me say your name again and again, and let us be so fucking crazy that no one dares to fuck with us again. It’s time to let the world know that we’re not going to hide these demons inside us anymore. I want the world to see your darkness because it’s what makes you  _ special _ . It’s what makes you unique and  _ important _ to me. Who cares what everyone else thinks about us? The only person’s opinion I care about is yours, and I know that you’re not afraid of me, and deep down you’re not afraid of the darkness in us both. You don’t have to pretend anymore. I’m not your family where I’m going to force you to be someone you’re not. I want you to be your authentic self and I want you to be  _ mine _ .” His hand grasped the back of my neck and pulled me towards him. His lips smashed against mine and my arms instinctively wrapped around him.

_ Fuck. _ Fuck him and the way he got under my skin. How did he always know what the right thing to say was? How did he always know what I was feeling? Why did I always fall under his spell? Why was he just so damn perfect and good to me?

“I’m scared,” I cried against his lips.

“Me, too.” Roman kept me pressed against him, refusing to let go, just as he promised. The memories of the past few days and the thoughts of  _ Him  _ melted away with the taste of Roman’s bourbon stained lips. I never wanted this moment to end. I wanted to freeze time and throw it in a bottle. “I have an idea,” Roman whispered against my forehead before kissing it. “I need to show you something.”

He scooped me up in his arms and carried me out of the penthouse and down the steps that led to the club. I held onto him tightly, trying not to look down at every step he took on each step. Some part of me found humor in the idea of him accidentally missing a step and us tumbling down the steps. But he carried me with grace and expertise, and especially took care to not drop me.

As we turned into the club, I saw that the lights were still off like they were when I left with Zsasz only a few days prior. I wondered if they had opened at all while I was gone. Zsasz said that Roman was somewhat of a mess in my absence, perhaps it was really so bad that he couldn’t even open the club up. Did it have something to do with what he wanted to show me?

Roman gently helped my feet find the ground, “Surprise!” He gestured upwards towards the railings on the upper floor.

My eyes followed the point of Roman’s finger. Hanging from the railing on the second floor by their wrists were three men, each gagged and fighting to put their feet back on the floor. They wore blindfolds and were gagged by black napkins from the club. As they squirmed and cried behind their gags, I slowly started recognizing them. At first it was hard because I couldn’t see their eyes, but when I put together their heights and their builds, I figured it out.

Old Joseph, Bade, and Quint.

“How did you—”

“Does it matter?”

_ No. I suppose it doesn’t. They’re there, I'm with Roman, and I know what he wants me to do. So, no, it doesn’t matter how he got them. All that matters is what we do with them now. _

Roman took something Zsasz handed him, then held it out for me. I looked down and saw my daggers in his hands. My bandaged fingers danced over the blades warily. “Make these guys pay, make them an example. Show people that they can’t fuck with you or me and get away with it,” Roman encouraged.

I picked one up and played with it. My fingers were still in pain, but they didn’t bother me as I thought about the revenge I desperately wanted. By killing them, Roman and I would officially be telling all of Gotham who we were and that we weren’t to be trifled with. I wanted that more than anything.

Before I could register what I was doing, I threw the knife in my hands at Quint’s groin. It hit and he screamed… and I smiled.

“That’s my girl,” Roman whispered, handing me the next knife.

I took the second knife in my hand before approaching Quint. I reached up and pulled his blindfold off, letting it fall to the ground. Quint blinked harshly a few times to let his eyes adjust, and then he started screaming again when he saw me. 

Roman sat in one of the chairs after one of his men placed it in the middle of the room. He threw one leg over the other and sat back, then snapped his fingers twice at the bar and said, “Marco, a scotch for me and a mojito with extra mint for Ms. Mor.”

_ Marco... _ I looked over and saw him standing at the bar, sweating nervously and his eyes shot wide open in horror. He looked at me differently than he had when we first met and he developed a cute, little crush on me. He saw me as a monster. That was the difference between Roman and the world. The real me he saw didn’t scare him, and it never would. It invigorated him, but it terrified Marco. 

That was why I chose Roman over everything.

I twisted the knife and pushed it further into Quint’s crotch, “Not so hot now. Is it?”

That feeling that boiled in me when I killed  _ Him _ , bashed Cal’s head in, and then when I tortured Richard, it started to rise up again. I remembered how good it felt to let go of the perfect girl I always tried to be, and just do what I felt was right. I wanted to feel that good again. I wanted to feel that power and freedom again.

Quint was bleeding all over my hand and the ground before I pulled the knife from his body. He was still alive, squirming in pain, and begging for help as I moved on to his companions. I wiped my hands of Quin’s blood on the napkin I tore from Quint’s eyes, “It’s a shame that Mr. Tula couldn’t join us here today... I would have loved to return the ten fingered favor. But we work with what we have, and what we have is you, leader of the group. Mr. Bane. It was your idea to kidnap me over Roman, wasn’t it? And it was your idea to drown me. The whole thing was your idea, in fact, and you were very proud of it. I bet you’re not that proud now. And since our torture friend couldn’t be here, I’ve decided what your punishment is to be, Mr. Bane. Can you guess?” I teased. “Zsasz, back at the cottage you mentioned that you would have done the nails differently. Show me.” Zsasz jumped with joy before running out of the club to collect the things he would need. Meanwhile, I turned to Old Joe, “And you. You never once stood up for me, even though I saw how you originally felt about their mistreatment of me. You wanted to stop them, but you kept your mouth shut and didn’t say a word. Then, by the end of it, you were just as happy to watch me suffer as the others were. You’re just as bad as them, Joseph... So, if you didn’t want to talk then, I’ll make sure you never speak again.” One of Roman’s men brought me a chair after I gestured for one, and I stood on it carefully. After pulling Joseph’s blindfold from his eyes and throwing it to the ground, I placed the edge of my blade against his cheek, “Don’t scream,” I ordered, knowing full well that he would, anyways. I untied the napkin, which was wrapped around Joseph’s head and buried in his mouth. The moment the napkin left his mouth, he let out a scream for help. As he screamed, I reached in and grabbed a hold of his tongue. He instantly fell silent and tried not to choke on my fingers. “Poor Old Joseph,” I cooed as I dug my dagger into his mouth and started sawing at his tongue. He started screaming again, trying to cough up the blood pooling in his mouth. “Silence is the virtue of fools, Joseph,” I told him as I pulled his detached tongue from his mouth, and he spat out a mouthful of blood. “Do you know who said that?” Roman chuckled behind me because Joseph couldn’t answer. “Right. My apologies, Joseph, I should’ve asked before taking your tongue. Well, what’s done is done, so I’ll tell you the answer. Francis Bacon said that. We’ll call it your final lesson in life, how does that sound?”

Zsasz ran back into the club with a black tool box in hand, “I found this in the trunk of the car,” he laughed maniacally.

I reached out for the man who brought the chair over, and he held my hand while I stepped down. “Don’t be shy, Zsasz, share with the class,” I walked over to the table he was setting up on. Roman handed me a red handkerchief as I passed him so that I could wipe the wet blood off.

Zsasz held up a large screw, “Remember the thumb tacks?” he asked me. I nodded. “These aren’t thumb tacks.  _ This  _ is what I would have done.” He picked up a drill and revved it a few times as he laughed. “Which one?” he asked, looking up at the three men still hanging from the second floor. I pointed to Bade, hanging between Quint and Joseph. Zsasz licked his teeth and smiled.

I went to sit next to Roman in another chair, but he grabbed my hips before I could get away from him, and he pulled me onto his lap. “I knew you were still you,” he whispered happily before kissing my neck. “I knew you didn’t really want to leave.”

I looked at his blue eyes in the dim light of the night club, “Just kiss me and say my name like you promised you would.”

Roman caressed my cheek with his palm, “Morgana…” and he kissed me.

Zsasz revved the drill again to get our full attention. Roman and I parted in order to watch him, but we continued to hold each other close. Zsasz rolled his eyes at us and I smiled.  _ Normal. That’s how Roman said he wanted things to be. Maybe this is our normal. _ I chuckled to myself.

“What’s so funny?” Roman questioned while handing me the mojito Marco made for me.

I shook my head, “Just Zsasz being Zsasz.”

Roman watched me with curiosity as I continued to watch Zsasz get to work on Bade. The drill screwed in the flathead screws into Bade’s fingers at a machine fast rate. It took a matter of seconds until each long and thick screw was buried all the way inside each finger. Bade would scream more when Zsasz hit the bones, and by the sixth finger, he passed out. Zsasz paused because he wanted Bade to be awake for his torture, but now he had nothing to do. He looked to his boss, Roman, for his next order.

Roman bit his lip in thought then tapped my side lightly for my attention, “You want to see all of me? The real and utter truth?”  _ Haven’t you already shown me? Haven’t I already shown you who I am? What more is there? _ I nodded. “Zsasz, go on.”

“The two on the ends?”

“Might as well just do all three right now. I think we can just call it a night and all move on. It’s been a stressful couple of days.”

Zsasz shrugged, “Alright.” He pulled the chair I used to meet Joseph face to face over to Quint with a knife in hand. He jumped up giddily and grabbed Quint’s cheeks in his hand roughly, “The guy’s got a broken nose,” he commented, looking back at me and Roman. My eyes shifted to the ground, but Zsasz caught me, “I know you were one tough son of a bitch.” I lifted my eyes back up at his approval and smiled.

Roman forced me to take another sip of my drink before commanding Zsasz to continue. I watched with the rim of the glass up on my nose as Zsasz cut into Quint’s jawline with the knife and started dragging it up towards his ear, then around his forehead, to his other ear, down his jawline again, and connecting the ends. All the while, Quint was crying and pleading for Zsasz to stop. When Zsasz’s cut around Quint’s face was complete, he put the knife in his pocket and started feeling at Quint’s face. Quint’s skin fell apart and Zsasz groaned. Quint stopped screaming, stopped moving, and stopped breathing, when the entirety of his face was peeled off.

Zsasz sighed heavily and threw Quint’s face on the ground before stepping off the chair and moving it in front of the unconscious Bade. He began doing the same thing to Bade’s face after pulling the knife from his pocket.

Roman was tense under me, “That’s how Zsasz and I normally handle things around here.”

“Why were you afraid to show me that?”

Roman shrugged, “I thought it might be too much.”

I pressed my forehead against his, “I see you, Roman Sionis. I see you and I understand you better than anyone.”

His breath sputtered, “I see you, Morgana Wreef.” His lips found mine again and his hips thrusted upwards slightly. I pressed a hand to his chest and parted our kiss, needing things to slow down for a moment. “I’m sorry,” he apologized.

“Don’t be…” I looked down at the button’s on his shirt, knowing I couldn’t look at him while I admitted what I had to say. “I know I said I was fine, and I seem fine, but I just need a little more time. Like you said, things will get back to normal soon enough, but I just need tonight to be with you. Does that make sense?”

Roman nodded, “Of course it does. I’ve waited this long to find you. I can wait to have you.” His arms reached under me and he lifted me up as he stood. I managed to put my empty drink on the nearby table before it was completely out of reach, “You can finish up here, can’t you, Zsasz?”

Zsasz was throwing Bade’s face to the floor when Roman addressed him, “Sure.”

Roman bid his best friend a goodbye for the rest of the afternoon, and told the room that we wanted to be unbothered for the night. Zsasz inquired about his own role, and Roman told him that he would be in charge of the club for the night while we would be… indisposed.

Zsasz and I shared a look before Roman carried me out of the club, and I realized that it was the Zsasz who had opened up to me back at the cottage sending me a sign. He looked at me with a softness and a vulnerability that said: “I would have made the same choice you made.” And I realized in that moment that I did the right thing after all.


	18. To Hell With Tradition

Roman gave me some pills to help me sleep that afternoon and to help with the pain. Then he showed me the changes he had made to his penthouse while I was away. After I was taken, Roman had my things brought to his penthouse because he knew that I would come back, no matter what; because he held out hope that Zsasz would find me and bring me back and all would be right again.

Though the majority of the penthouse hadn’t changed a bit in the way of decor, there were plenty of things that had been added or moved around. In the bedroom, Roman showed me the black wardrobe he bought and filled with my things, then the desk he decorated for me with a new laptop he bought since mine had been damaged in the attack at the Pixie.

Inside the wardrobe were plenty of black and purpose dresses, a few red and blue for color, and one yellow for special occasions. Then there were shirts, all different colors. Some were comfortable cotton shirts, others were satin and velvet, just like his suits. Tucked away, there were a few graphic t-shirts that I had brought with me to Gotham, but they looked so old and cheap next to all of the nice things Roman bought for me.

As Roman showed me around, the medicine started to kick in. He helped me into his bed before giving me a gift, “I hope you like them… I know you took a liking to mine, so I wanted to give you a pair of your own.”

I opened the box while watching him carefully, considering every option of what could possibly be inside. The purple bow fell onto the comforter and I flipped off the lid to reveal a pair of new daggers with purple handles, and black gloves beneath them. Black gloves like I had dreamed up while I was in the pool… They were like Roman’s, black with gold lettering and designing on top, but they were mine because of my initials. I insisted to Roman that he didn’t have to do all of this for me as a reluctant thank you.

Roman carefully took the box from me as I fluffed the pillow under my head, “You deserve the best, Morgana. The best of everything, and  _ only  _ the best. I’d climb mountains to give you the best. So, of course, I had to do this for you.” His fingers played with my curls again in order to help me fall asleep. I stared into his bright blue eyes, trying to keep my eyes open just a little longer in order to watch him, but the drugs were getting to me again. “You did well today. I’m proud of you.”

There was silence between us as I thought about how a man like Roman could be raised by such a wicked man like Richard and turn out so perfect. I mean, he wasn’t perfect by society’s standards, but he was perfect to me in every way. He was kind and compassionate with me, but he was also very protective and firm when he needed to be. Perhaps Richard didn’t raise Roman as much as Roman’s mother’s home did.

Then I thought about her little cottage tucked away in the forest, hidden from prying eyes or curious minds. It was a little nook in the woods that meant something special to Roman, which made him much like Zsasz. They both opened up to me in ways that they were scared of doing with everyone else in the world. Roman showed me true and unconditional love that was worth fighting for, and Zsasz told me his truth. It wasn’t the same kinds of sacrifice, but they were both noble to do so for me.

I told Roman that I loved his mother’s house as my eyes fluttered shut. I figured that it wouldn’t hurt to close my eyes for just a moment and find some peace in all the noise that was hurrying outside of The Black Mask Club. It was just me, Roman, and my dreams of being in the cottage in the woods with him and only him. Roman laid beside me and held me while he told me he was glad I loved his mother’s home. As I started dozing off, he told me a story about how he dreamed about one day taking the love of his life out to that cottage and settling down just for a summer like he used to do when he was little. When he thought I was asleep in his arms, he told me that I would be the girl to go with him. Half asleep, I smiled and tucked my back closer to him.

Perfect in every way.

“Good morning… you look like an angel…” Roman whispered while tracing circles on my hip. As Roman coaxed me awake, I moaned, half-asleep, and turned over to face him. My eyes were still shut, but I could feel him watching me with a bright smile.

My hand found Roman’s warm chest, where I discovered that he had changed into a soft cotton shirt while I was asleep.  _ Shit, how long was I asleep?  _ I barely opened my eyes to see that the red drapes had been nicely drawn closed, but there was some of the morning sun escaping around the sides of the curtains.  _ Is it morning or is it still the afternoon?  _ My eyes fell shut again and I nestled against Roman’s chest, my hand turning into a fist so that I could feel the softness of his shirt.

“You slept through the rest of the afternoon and the entire night.”

“Were you watching me sleep?”

“Perhaps. Do you feel any better today?”

“Well, I’m not an unhinged, hysterical mess anymore, so that’s a plus, I suppose.”

He let out a quiet chuckle, “You seem much better, if it’s any consolation. I’ll get you some more medicine,” he offered, moving to roll out of bed, but I kept my grip on him.

While the drugs certainly helped with the pain of the wounds Tula and the others inflicted on me, it only made me drowsy, and while I was lucky to make it through the night without a nightmare or a visit from  _ Him _ , I couldn’t take that chance again. The more I would take, the more likely it would become that  _ He _ would take advantage of my fragile state and terrorize me again. With Roman around,  _ He _ hardly ever bothered me, and Roman was the best medicine for me. Being with Roman made me forget about the aches in my body or the fact that  _ He  _ could be watching from around the corner.

Roman relaxed again after catching my hint. I then asked Roman if he remembered how he told me that I was the only thing that made sense to him in all of the shit that was going on in our lives, and he nodded. Then I asked him if he really meant it or he just said it to make me stay. In return, Roman asked how I could think such a thing when I of course knew the truth. “Well, because there are a few things that make some sense to me, I suppose.” I opened my eyes to see his reaction of intrigue, “I think that some part of me sees us never changing. I see us down in the club every night until we can’t stay awake any longer, then resting just like this through the nights and the mornings. Some part of me believes that your throne in the other room will one day really be the throne you sit on when we rule Gotham, and anyone who dares to oppose us will meet the same fate as your father and the men who took me. I see both of our hands covered with our gloves, and our faces with masks on them while we take care of any  _ problems _ . All of that perfection until we decide one day that we want to just run to the cottage in the woods and we can just  _ be _ . It sounds ridic—”

“It  _ sounds  _ like you had this all figured out a long time ago.”

I was starting to feel like I had overstepped. Perhaps Roman never really saw us together like that. I mean, of course he saw us being together, that much had been made clear the day prior with his ultimate declaration of loyalty, but it could have been that he didn’t see our lives taking those turns and following those paths. “Sorry, it’s probably just the medicine.”

“You’re not wrong, Morgana. I want you to understand that much. While I believe that the fine details are important to navigate most things in life, I don’t feel that way with us… I mean, I never even saw the Society having their hands in our relationship before we could even discuss this, yet here we are. With us, I feel like we can ride the waves and figure things out one step at a time. But you have to understand that there’s a way I’ve planned out my life, and while you’ve completely turned everything I’ve ever known on its head for the better, I still feel the desperate need to control what little I have right now. I had it all planned that I was going to open up the club, check, then build an empire, check, then kill my father, check, then take over Gotham. I can’t snap my fingers and make that happen overnight, but I know that it will happen one day. Once it does happen, I don’t see myself going anywhere… I don’t see myself raising a family in the woods or retiring out there, because that’s just not who I was born to be. Can you understand that?”

“Of course,” I whispered.  _ For you, I’d be more than willing to give up the cottage in the woods. I’d give up the whole world for you. _ My grip on his shirt loosened and I rolled away before sitting up. “But you do want a family—”

“I want  _ you _ , Morgana Wreef. I want you and everything that you are and everything you wish. If you want a family, then so be it. If you want all the riches in the world, I can give you that. I’d do anything for you, Mor, but I just can’t give up the dream I’ve been working for all my life.”  _ It’s just a stupid cottage. I’m sorry I brought it up.  _ “How about this,” he, too, sat up and took my hand like he always did when he wanted my attention, “whenever you want to go to the cottage, we’ll go. I used to spend every summer there when I was younger, why don’t we do that together?”

I threw the red bed covers off my body to feel myself breathe for a moment. The way I fell so in love with Roman’s mother’s cottage couldn’t be ignored. I really thought that there would be a time where we would spend our lives out there. I saw us sitting in that living room together, drinking wine and talking while I was curled in his lap. Perhaps I even envisioned the idea of a little Sionis running around in the garden. But like I said, I’d take Roman wherever, and I knew that we could both be happy just where we were. “The summers aren’t a bad compromise.”

Roman smiled before going to the wardrobe in the room, “See, what step at a time.”

I went to the opposite side of the room where the new desk was sitting for me. I grabbed a pen and flipped open a notebook before jotting something down. “Pick something out for me?” I asked of him. Roman started going through my clothes as I wrote. Just as I finished, he pulled out a red flannel and a pair of black jeans.

“Where do you think Zsasz could possibly be hiding at?” I asked Roman. He was standing in front of the mirror when he answered me, watching me through the reflection as I got dressed. I grabbed the paper from the desk and folded it before hiding it from Roman’s prying eyes. As I went to the wardrobe and searched for the pair of boots I usually hid important things in, Roman watched me intently. He was messing with his cufflinks as he asked me why I needed to see Zsasz. I ignored his question with, “I’ll be back in a few minutes,” I walked around the bed and kissed the side of his neck.

“You aren’t mad at me, right?” he called as I walked down the hallway that led to the exit of the penthouse.

“Don’t flatter yourself, Sionis.”

“That’s my girl.”

Just as Roman told me, Zsasz was hiding down in the club, tucked away in a booth with a drink from the bar while he was scrolling through his phone. As I approached, he didn’t look up or acknowledge me, and I found that it was a wild relief that Zsasz was acting like things were normal. Things between Roman and I were still considered to be unchartered waters, and we were jumping around social landmines in order to test each others’ boundaries. All the while, Zsasz had returned to his cold and distant self, like we hadn’t connected in some small and odd way at the cottage. Before, Zsasz attitude used to bother me or intrigue me, but now it comforted me, because in some strange way, I understood that it was  _ our  _ thing— some unspoken ritual where he’d be all bothered by my presence, but he’d help me out with anything anyhow.

Even when I sat down in the booth with Zsasz, he continued to scroll through his phone after putting his feet up on the table. I thought about how if Roman caught him doing such a thing, he’d be pissed. Roman was all about manners, and Zsasz having his feet up on the table certainly wasn’t that. But maybe that was the point. Perhaps he was testing me to see if I were anything but a clone of Roman— or, as he would put it, some girl out of a teenage soap opera.

I took Zsasz’s drink so as to show that I was neither. Zsasz nearly chuckled behind his phone, but he kept a straight face. While I drank and relaxed beside him, thinking about how comforting it was to be in the club when it was silent, I also put my feet up on the table. A smile finally peeked through on Zsasz’s face.

With Zsasz’s favor showing to my side in that moment, I figured there was no better time to ask for a favor from him. I reached through my shirt, keenly aware of Zsasz’s eyes watching me, and grabbed the small stack of folded cash that was trapped under my bra strap. I set the stack on the table and slid it over to Zsasz, still looking ahead. I took another swig as Zsasz put his phone down on the table, exchanging its spot for the cash. Silently, he unfolded the stack and counted the bills.

“So you’re stealing from Roman now? Not very happily ever after of you,” he whispered, trying not to draw any unwarranted attention from the guards standing at all of the exits.

“That money was never Roman’s,” I answered just as quietly. “It was Richard’s.”

“When did you have a chance to grab it off his body?”

A light chuckle somehow escaped me, “Richard gave it to me before I came here. It was the night that Damon guy attacked me and I had nowhere else to go but Richard’s house. I was in a bad situation with Cal and I told Richard that. He took pity on me and gave me the cash. I never used it before because I didn’t want to owe him any debt. But I’m sick of holding onto a dead man’s blood money, so I’ve decided to buy something finally.”

Zsasz counted the cash again, now shocked by the story I had told him. It was a lot of cash for just the few nights at the motel I owed Cal, but that was the point, wasn’t it? Richard gave me all that money in the hopes that I would soon whore myself out for him. Idiot.

“What on Earth do you want to buy with this kind of cash?” Zsasz inquired.

“A ring,” I answered. “The details are in here,” I reached into one of the pockets in my jeans and pulled out a piece of paper. Zsasz took it from me eagerly and skimmed the contents before informing me that I could buy at least three of those rings with the cash I gave him. To which, I responded, “If I can buy three, then it’s not the best quality ring you can find. I just want one and I want it to be the best. Can you do that?”

Zsasz shrugged and pocketed the cash and the paper, “Whatever you say, little rose. I’ll have it by tonight, before we open.” I thanked him, bringing the glass to my lips again, but he stole it back. “Are you planning on joining us down here tonight? Things will only get back to normal once—”

“I know, once the club goes back to normal. I get it.”

“Roman gave you  _ the talk _ , then.”

I took the drink back once he had a few sips, “You could have literally phrased that any other way.”

“I said what I said. Roman loves this place because it’s what keeps him alive and sane— well, you know, as sane as it gets around here. Whatever’s going on between you two will probably work itself out once Roman goes back to being himself.”

“And I said, I get it, Zsasz. It’s a one step at a time kind of thing for me, okay. I’ve conquered all the shit I’ve been through in my life before, and this will be no different. I just need you to look out for him when I can’t.”

Zsasz snapped his fingers for another drink after we finished the first. “I should ask the same of you.”

One of the guards put down the drink in front of Zsasz, but he nudged it my way. We stayed silent for a few more minutes while we passed the drink between each other, a personification of our alliance. As we finished the second drink, Zsasz removed himself from the booth, taking with him everything I gave him. I watched him leave the club, taking two guards with him.

Zsasz returned that afternoon, as promised, with a gift box oddly similar to the one Roman handed me the night before. I was back in the booth down in the club after eating lunch with Roman up in the penthouse. He tried to pry about what I needed Zsasz for, but I held my ground with him and led him on as much as I could to build the anticipation. He whined the whole time, telling me that it had to be because I was mad at him for what he said, then he figured it was nothing and that I just liked to mess with him. I was fine with him thinking it was either because he never really guessed what was really going on.

Zsasz didn’t even sit down with me when he came back. He threw the box at me before muttering on and on about a day entirely wasted. I called a thanks to him as he walked away, to which he pointed the middle finger back at me.

It was odd to think that in just an hour or so, the club would reopen for the first time in a few days, and Roman would be back down in our booth acting like nothing had gone wrong. I was sure that he would play it off like he was sick or something when people would inevitably ask, which didn’t necessarily offend me. I wasn’t ready to revamp my attendance of the nightly fiasco that was The Black Mask Club just yet, and Roman understood that, like I understood why he couldn’t give up his dream for the cottage.

With that all in mind, I took the wrapped gift with me upstairs to the penthouse. Roman had the record player playing my favorite song throughout the entire place, which made it somewhat hard to find him until I heard him humming along in the living room. I carefully approached the open room, staying hidden behind the corner while blending into the wall as best I could. Roman was lying on his back on one of the couches, his head propped on a fluffy pink pillow, and his hands cradling his Black Mask.

I bit back a laugh as he started singing the lyrics to the song.  _ He’s hot and he can sing. The world is finally giving back to me.  _ As the song winded down to its end, Roman carefully placed the mask on the table to the side, “It’s no fair if you get to spy,” he said.

I appeared from around the corner, “I only spy when you’re being cute.”

“A rare occurrence.”

“Not necessarily.”

He chuckled, “What have you been up to?”

“I have a gift for you,” I cheered as I threw myself on the couch. Roman raised a curious brow after noticing the gift box I was failing to hide behind my back. “Promise not to be weird about it?” He nodded like an eager puppy waiting for a treat. I revealed the black gift box tied with a purple bow to him, “Tada.”

Roman sat up straight, “Is it one of my father’s rotted fingers?”

“Don’t be gross,” I laughed and hit his arm. “This is a serious matter.”

“‘Kay, baby. Whatever you say,” he smiled at me, and I nearly got so lost in his eyes again that half of my prepared speech left my mind.

I shook off my trance and got serious with him. “We’re not traditional people, I know that. We’ve only really known each other about two weeks, and we already know everything about each other. I mean, for god sake, we already live together and we’ve  _ killed  _ people together. I wouldn’t exactly say that we’re taking things slow, but I’m alright with that. I’m… more than alright with that… And I just wanted to find a way to thank you for everything you’ve done for me. You listened to me and saw me when no one else would. You showed me who I really am, and that’s a debt I’ll never be able to repay. You gave me a home and you gave me protection when we hardly even knew each other. You saved me… You didn’t let me go even though it could hurt you… 

I guess, what I’m trying to say is that you mean a lot to me, Roman— more than anyone has meant to me.  _ Ever _ . I like you. I  _ really  _ like you, Roman, and I don’t want to be traditional with you. I don’t want to sit around and try to convince myself that what’s happening between us isn’t real. I don’t want to sit around and listen to anyone who says that we’re taking things too fast. All my life I was always the perfect girl who never took any chances, but this city, and you, have changed me, and I want to say thank you in a way other than sex,” I laughed nervously. Roman took my empty hand and kissed my knuckles to reassure me that he saw me and he understood me. “So, here’s my thank you,” I handed him the box. Anxiously I watched him while he pulled at the bow and opened the box. I kept my fingers crossed behind my back that he would like my gift and not be overwhelmed by everything.

Roman picked up the golden ring from the case and admired it up close, “R. B. S.”

“Just like your gloves,” I explained. I was starting to really worry that I had made a mistake and I had completely overstepped. It wasn’t like a proposal ring or anything, but it was still a huge gesture, and maybe he wasn’t ready for it. Maybe we really weren’t on the same page this entire time like I had thought. Maybe if I explained myself a bit more, he’d understand. “My mind… it goes to the darkest places sometimes, but being with you has taught me that having this darkness in me isn’t a bad thing… and that I’m not alone— that I don’t have to be alone ever again. And I don’t want you to be alone ever again, either. I don’t—”

“You talk a lot when you’re genuinely nervous, did you know that?” he chuckled quietly, sliding the ring onto his pinky finger. “It’s adorable.”

“You talk a lot when you’re nervous, too,” I bit back, trying to break the tension some more.

“Whatever you say, Ms. Morgana.”

“You—”

“Just kiss me,” Roman’s fingers slid into my hair to hold the back of my head while he kissed me roughly. He pulled me into his lap sideways, cradling my knees with his free hand. “So, this means you’re not mad at me, then, right?” he clarified between kisses. I laughed against his lips and kissed him even more. My fingers tangled themselves in his black hair. “Where’d you even get the money to buy this?”

“You ask too many questions, Roman Sionis.”

His lips found my neck and he gently pressed a kiss against it, “Thank you for the gift, baby.” He kissed the other side of my neck, “Our lives will always be like this. I promise.” He kissed my Adam’s apple, “We’ll be perfect whether it be here or at the cottage in the summers.”

“Suck up,” I whispered.

He kissed my left collarbone, “Only for you, baby.” He kissed my right collarbone, “Every inch of you… absolutely, completely, wholeheartedly, undoubtedly  _ perfect… _ ” He kissed the valley just between my breasts, though not daring to venture under my shirt because he still respected the boundary I had set the night before. “And all  _ mine _ .”

“Roman,” Zsasz called as a warning from the hallway before entering.  _ God-fucking-dammit, Zsasz. Every fucking time. _ “People are starting to show up outside,” he informed us as he turned into the living room to find us both completely clothed and on separate sides of the couch. He noticed the golden ring on Roman’s pinky before continuing, “I think we should head down. You need to make an appearance to show that everything’s alright.”

“Fine, Zsasz,” Roman bit impatiently. Neither of us appreciated the fact that we had been interrupted by Zsasz  _ again _ . “Send Mr. Rush and Mr. Gurrera up to give Mor some company tonight. Open the place up then tell Dinah that she needs to come in early to keep our guests entertained tonight— we’ll pay her double, if we need.”

“Double?”

“Double. I’ll be down in a few minutes to discuss whatever else you have on your mind, Victor, but just give us a moment here…” he gave a side nod towards me.

Zsasz rolled his eyes before throwing his hands up in the air as if to show that he was giving up on trying to pry us apart, “You two are worse than a pair of fucking bunny rabbits. Jesus Christ.” He turned for the exit, “I don’t need twenty tiny ones running around this place, just remember that.”

“ _ Goodbye, Zsasz! _ ” I exclaimed, throwing a pillow at him. He jumped out of the way and hurried around the corner. “That man knows no boundaries,” I told Roman with a failed attempt to suppress my smile.

“You sure you’ll be fine up here tonight?”

I dug my phone out of my back pocket and shook it in his face, “I’ll give you hourly updates if it’ll make you feel better. You’ll be just downstairs, Roman, what’s the worst that could happen?”

“You were with Zsasz when the worst happened. Both he and I will be far too busy—”

“Updates every 30 minutes. That’s my final offer, Sionis.”

Roman leaned over the space between us, “Deal, Morgana.”  _ Careful _ . “I like you a lot, too, by the way. If that wasn’t already apparent.”

I shrugged, “Sorry, I couldn’t hear you.”

Roman leaned closer, “ _ I like you a lot, Morgana Wreef. _ ”

“Ah, there it is,” I teased before kissing him quickly. “Go on. You don’t want to be late for your own party.” Roman huffed and stood up, reaching for my hand desperately like I would pull him back down to keep him with me. It was extremely tempting, but I barred myself.. “Updates every thirty minutes, I promise.”

Roman grabbed his mask from the table so that he could put it back on its display before heading downstairs for the night, “I like you, Mor.”

I knew what he meant, but I decided to let our game linger on a little more, “Then I should probably stick around.” He narrowed his eyes and waited for the response he wanted to hear. “I like you, Roman.”

_ I love you, Roman Sionis! _ was what I truly wanted to shout from the rooftops. I was ready to do it, because I knew it was utterly true. But it occurred to me that I had never said those words out loud to anyone before and meant it. There were plenty of old family and friends that had heard me say it, but not in this way.  _ I love you, Roman Sionis _ meant something more than saying it to a family member you’re obligated to love because of blood. This was different because it was a choice the universe had made and thrust upon me when I least expected it, but now I was ready for the whole world to know it.

But I liked this game we were playing of “I like you.” It was a game that was designed to never last long, and was instead designed to evolve into something more important. Roman and I weren’t the type of people to dance around the idea of saying “I love you”, but that was what made “I like you” so special. It’s one thing to love someone— hell, I’d say I loved my family, but I didn’t like them. I  _ liked  _ Roman. Liking someone for who they are and being obligated to love them were so different to me. Perhaps liking someone even meant more to me than loving someone, and perhaps that was why I said it over “I love you” that day.

And maybe I needed to hear someone else say it, too. The way Roman always said my name was his little way of saying it, I suppose, but once he actually spoke the words: “I like you”, and I knew he meant it. I knew he loved me. He was never obligated to tell me such a thing. But to tell me that he  _ liked  _ me reassured me that everything was real.


	19. Something About Your Demons

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Smut Chapter. 18+

It had been nearly a month since the False Face Society took me. Since that time, Roman and I had been trying to lay low, to just make sense of things and try to make things as normal for us as we could. Roman continued to run the club while I would stay up in the penthouse with two guards outside at all times. Then, in the mornings, Roman would have someone bring us breakfast from Sal’s before we’d spend the day working. I would go down to the club with Zsasz to work on with the knives while Roman would deal with some papers. It was our little routine, and I loved it.

After about a week and a half of sulking around the penthouse during the nights, I decided to dress up in red lingerie for Roman and surprise him. He had come up to the penthouse early that night, expressing that a deal with one of Gotham’s crime bosses fell through, and that he was quite upset about it. But that night, he didn’t think too much about it... After that, we couldn’t keep to ourselves. One lingering look or one accidental touch was enough to make us jump each other’s bones.

As for The Black Mask Club, it took me a while to start going back with Roman, but once I did, we went every night for hours on end. We would sit in our booth together, listening to the music and drinking until the club would begin to fill up. When the club would get busy, Roman and I would walk laps around the club together to make sure that everyone was having fun and had everything they needed. He liked to be a good host for everyone who came into his club, and that was why everyone loved him.

Sometimes we would sit with guests and drink with them to keep them entertained for a bit. Every now and again, though, someone would get the wrong idea about me and Roman, and they’d start flirting with him… or even worse, me. When they would get handsy with Roman or ask to see his place, we’d politely excuse ourselves and attempt to head upstairs. Most nights we wouldn’t even make it up the first flight of stairs. As for when I would catch someone’s eye and they decided to get handsy with me, Roman wasn’t as kind. He’d pull me into his lap and tell Zsasz to handle them, then he’d take me upstairs and make sure I knew that he was the only one who could have me.

There were other nights, though, where Roman would have to go out with Zsasz to handle some business. He was always completely transparent with me, telling me every detail of what he expected to come from these meetings, and then he would come home and tell me how they went. Not once did he ever keep a secret from me about his business, and I made sure to thank him for that as often as I could. But I’d always wait around the club nervously on those nights, wondering if he’d come home unscathed and safe. Sometimes I feared that all it would take was one bad deal, and he’d be gone. Those nights were always the worst.

On weekends, though, for the most part, Roman was fairly work free. We’d spend forever in bed then take the day to just be together and do whatever the hell we wanted. Weekends were the only time he was comfortable enough to even let me get as far as the end of the block in a car with him, Zsasz, and five other guards. We were slowly making progress, working our way down to the docks, which was far closer than the cottage.

And even though Roman said he’d take me to the cottage whenever I wanted, I decided to keep myself from asking because I could tell he still wasn’t comfortable with the idea of me out and about quite yet. Of course both he and Zsasz knew that I was a big girl, and I could hold my own after dealing with the Society, but he just couldn’t settle with the idea that I wasn’t always safe.

But that Sunday, the one that was exactly a month since Zsasz found me, I didn’t find Roman in bed with me that morning. It was unusual for him to be gone on a Sunday without even waking me to tell me something was going on, so I went to search the rest of the penthouse. Absolutely no one, except for the two guards likely standing outside the penthouse door.

I grabbed my phone from the bedside table in our room and texted Roman to ask where he was, and all he could say was: “Busy. No worries.”  _ Asshole. _ Seriously, if I even decided to go to another room without Roman these days, I had to send him updates about how I was. But Roman just got to prance around all of Gotham and tell me fucking nothing.  _ Ugh _ .

I was wearing nothing but a set of lavender lingerie Roman bought me as I started walking around the penthouse again. Then, seeing as I had the place to myself for a bit of time, I figured I’d make the best of it. Roman had these huge speakers hiding away in a corner, which I immediately found and pulled to the middle of the living room. It took me a few minutes to get them set up, but when I did, I blasted the music I had on my phone. I danced while looking around the entire penthouse in order to feed my boredom.

It was raining outside when I sat down on the throne with Roman’s Black Mask in my hands after my curiosity got the best of me. I was lounging sideways, my back against the left arm of the chair and my legs swung over the right arm. My favorite song came onto the speakers, and I recalled how Roman sang it for me.

When Roman came in and I didn’t even realize it at first. I continued to hum and day dream on the throne like there was no one else in the world. That was until he cleared his throat to let his presence be known. I jumped out of my own skin, sitting up right in the throne, and hiding the mask behind my back so that he didn’t know I was admiring it.

Roman laughed at me, “Good morning, baby.” He nudged himself off the doorframe and walked towards me. I brought up that he wasn’t there when I woke up and that he had let me sleep in. “You finally had one night where you didn’t have a nightmare. I didn’t want to ruin that.” I asked him where he was, but he dodged my question with, “You look stunning.” He reached behind my back and grabbed the mask before walking it back over to its rightful place on the display on the wall.

Before he could turn around, I spread my legs open to present myself for him. Roman nearly stumbled over after noticing my new position in the chair while wearing my very revealing lingerie set. I watched him with lustful eyes, curling a finger in the air to beckon him towards me. He followed my finger in a trance, towering over me, his pants tightening.

As he licked his lips and reached out for me, I dodged his touch teasingly, “Tell me where you were.”

Roman groaned, palming himself through his trousers instinctively, “Zsasz and I were working.”

“You tell me about work,” I responded while sliding my bra straps down my shoulders slowly, “but you refuse to tell me about this, so this is different. I thought we agreed to have no secrets, Roman.”

He whined as I said his name, “It’s for the best. Some secrets are alright if they’re to protect you.”

“How did that go last time?” I snipped when he put a hand on my thigh and I closed my legs. “Answers will be rewarded.”

“We went to the bank to handle things with the Maroni family.”

“I didn’t know we had dealings with them,” I told him while taking my bra off and tossing it at him.

He caught my bra, “We do now.” I opened my legs again and propped them on the arms of the chair, completely opening myself for him. Roman gulped. “Are you just going to sit like that and not let me touch you?” I shrugged. “You really know how to tease me, Ms. Morgana.”

“There’s an easy solution to that.”

I reached up and grabbed his tie, pulling him towards me.  Roman instantly leaned forward and kissed me, his hands sliding further up my thighs. I accommodated his touch by sliding to the edge of the chair and breaking our kiss as his fingers came so close to where I had been aching for him all day. My breath hitched when he moved my panties to the side. He hummed as he pressed his index finger against my clit and slid it down, collecting my wetness.

“God, I missed you so much,” he whispered. My back arched as he slowly thrusted two fingers into me and curled into my g-spot. “Did you miss me?”

“More than anything in the world,” I moaned out. “Fuck. Give me more,” I begged. His other hand kneaded my thigh as he pressed his thumb against my clit and started rubbing fast circles. I squirmed under him as he continued to hit my g-spot, trying to make me cum hard. And I knew that it was possible as I felt my orgasm approaching. “Fuck!” I moaned out.

Roman laughed. “You’ve been trying to make me beg for you all this time, but here you are… squirming under my touch, about to cum all over my fingers like a good girl. You’re still so tight. I wonder how my cock would feel.” I moaned in response, my walls clenching around him as I reached for the edge. “You’d like that, wouldn’t you? My throbbing, hard cock buried inside of you. Look at you, at my mercy.” As I was about to cum, Roman stopped moving his fingers. “Beg. Beg like you wanted me to beg for you. Maybe that will teach you a lesson.”

“Please, baby,” I whimpered, moving my hips around to feel him, and he let me work myself on his fingers. “Please let me cum all over your fingers. I’m sorry for making you beg for me… I’m yours. Please!” I screamed out as he started fucking me again, hard. I felt my orgasm start to approach again, “God, just like that, Roman.”

“Cum. Cum all over my fucking fingers.”

“Fuck, Roman!” I moaned out as I released on his two fingers inside of me and his thumb on my clit. As I came down from my high, Roman pulled his fingers away and I sat up, seeing a smile on his face. My legs were still shaking, but Roman took my hand gently and helped me out of the throne.

I fell into his chest, holding onto his shoulders, “Is it a little hard to stand?” he chuckled. I nodded. “Then, let’s get you off your feet.” I knew what he meant, and immediately dropped to my knees for him. He smiled again and dragged his thumb over my bottom lip before dipping it into my mouth for me to suck on. “My good girl.” I moaned around his thumb. “So needy and well behaved, even after our little incident where you forgot how things work around here.” He pulled his thumb from my mouth and started unbuckling his pants. As Roman’s belt hit the floor after he threw it, I urgently began unbuttoning his pants.  Together, we pushed down his pants, his erection springing free. “Look at what you do to me.” He didn’t give me a chance to respond before tangling his fingers in my hair and pulling my mouth onto his hard length. Roman moaned at the feeling, throwing his head back, and tightening his grip in my hair. “Fuck, baby.” I took all of him in my mouth again and again, letting my tongue work on every inch I could. Roman stopped for a moment and let me breathe, “I just want to fuck you…” he muttered, gently pushing a palm against my chest to push my back onto the floor. 

I was silent as Roman hovered over my body completely, his hand pressed against the floor beside my head. “I  _ like  _ you, Roman Sionis,” I said, leaning up as far as I could to kiss him. He leaned down into my kiss as he rubbed his tip up and down my slit, and I moaned. “Just fuck me…”

Roman lined himself up with my entrance and suddenly pushed every inch into me. My hands curled into a fist as I moaned out. Even after all of the things we had done together, he was still so big in me. He moaned my name as he started thrusting, kissing me again to bring our bodies closer. Roman pulled himself nearly all of the way out before slamming back into me, and he did this over and over. In a desperate attempt to have every inch of him inside me, I trapped his hips between my legs.

“God, you’re so tight,” he moaned. “Tell me who you belong to.”

I screamed out, “Fuck! You! You… I belong to you, Roman!” He was pleased with my answer, so he took one of his hands and trailed it down to my clit, rubbing fast circles over it. “I’m gonna cum, babe.”

Roman moaned, “Me, too.” My walls were clenching around him, and his thrusts were getting sloppy as we were both approaching our orgasms. “Cum with me, baby.”

“Fuck…”

I bit my lip, but he stopped me. “Scream my name, Morgana.”

“Roman... I’m gonna fucking cum.” His fingers moved faster on my clit, “Fuck. Roman!” I yelled as I came on his cock, and he came in me. Slowly, he finished his thrusts and pulled from me once we were both down from our highs. “Jesus, Sionis.”

He kissed me, “The throne was a nice touch.”

“I aim to please.”

He chuckled and rolled onto the floor. Roman pulled me close, his arms wrapping around me like wings set to protect me from the world, “Something about your demons excites me. Makes me feel like I’m not alone. Makes me feel like I’m capable of loving someone and being loved by someone. Does that make me crazy?”

“I don’t think that’s the thing that makes you crazy,” I ran my thumb over his bottom lip, remembering how his lips tasted against mine, how they worked wonders on me every night, and how I could finally call them  _ mine _ . “Being crazy together is what makes us special. I won’t ever forget that.”

Roman smirked, “I love you.”

I froze, staring into his eyes, my thumb still pressed against his lips as he said it. I felt his words flow through me like they were a part of me, like they were my destiny— if you believe in that sort of thing. Yet, I couldn’t find the breath to say anything to him.

“Please… say it back…”

I needed him to give life to my lungs again, so I kissed him again, “I love you so fucking much, Roman Sionis.” I slowly lifted myself up and over him. Roman bit his lips at the sight of me sitting on his lap, my thighs resting on either side of him.

He smirked as our lips connected again and I began grinding my hips into his to create friction. I could feel his erection building against me again. “Fuck…” he moaned, “How did I find a gem like you?”

“You got lucky.”

“Damn right.”

“You’re wearing too much,” I groaned and ripped off his shirt, revealing his body. To this, he returned the favor and unclasped my bra. My nipples stood at attention when his left hand began to tweak one side while his mouth sucked at the other one. Out of shock and pleasure, I threw my head back and held his hair tight between my fingers, my hips still grinding over his. “Damn, you’re good at that.”

“These are pretty, baby, but they have to go.” He scrunched the material of my laced panties like he was about to rip them off of my body, but I stopped him because they were too damn expensive to let go to waste like all the others he had ruined. Instead, I just moved the fabric to the side again and he groaned. I felt his fingers graze my clit and my breath hitched at the feeling. “Sorry,” he said mischievously, like he didn’t really mean it. Both of us moaned when his tip pressed against my entrance. He moaned at the feeling of my wetness, and I moaned at the feeling of his touch.

Grabbing his shoulders, I sunk down onto him slowly, my nails digging into his skin. I groaned loudly, “You’re so big, fuck.” Roman held my hips as I began rolling myself around him, his dick rubbing against my walls. My legs rose and fell underneath me as I went up and down on his length, feeling every inch of him inside of me. The faster I went, Roman’s hand went to my neck and held it gently, careful not to put any pressure. “Roman,” I moaned his name.

“That’s it, baby… Keep moaning my name for me.”

“I love you, Roman.” I continued to go faster, my grip on his shoulders tightening to balance myself. At the same time, we leaned in and kissed passionately, more than before. “I’m going to cum again.”

To this, as a response, Roman took his free hand to my clit and started making small circles over it with two of his fingers, causing me to moan more for him. His hips started to thrust up, adding more speed and power to our orgasms. “Cum again for me, Morgana.” Roman pressed his forehead to mine as I rode him as I came all over his cock. “Shit,” he stuttered as he held my hips down on his entire length roughly as he thrust one more time and came inside me, “I love you. Fuck. I do. I love you.”

Exhausted, I fell onto Roman’s chest, “Okay, tiger, let’s call a truce for now.”

“You started it,” he argued.

“And you didn’t help by saying  _ ‘I love you’ _ , so we’re even.”

“You saying it more doesn’t make it any less sexy, Morgana.”

“Hey, I called a truce, mister. None of that Morgana bullshit from you right now.”

“You’re trying to be mad, but I can’t ignore that I’m still inside you and you’re still very wet.”

“Oh, my god. You’re impossible.”

“Would it help if I put on the mask? You’ve clearly taken a liking towards it.”

I peeled myself from his body and stood up as a form of protest, “I’m leaving you here, by the way.” I readjusted my panties before putting my bra back on, “And I’m going to try on the other sets I bought.”

“When the fuck did you go shopping for all this?”

I started walking away and he watched me like a lion about to pounce on its prey, “Mask and I tell you.”

The last glimpse I caught of Roman was him quickly scrambling to his feet and stumbling to the mask in a daze, “I thought you called truce!”

“The gloves, too!” I shouted across the penthouse from the bedroom after pulling out a royal blue set from the wardrobe. “And I never said they were for you or that the truce was over!” Roman turned the corner into the bedroom with the mask and his gloves in his hands. I pointed to the bed and he sat down like an obedient puppy dog. I picked up my phone with one hand while I unclasped my bra with the other. I sent Zsasz a simple text with just the bunny emoji as the bra fell to the ground. “Zsasz has been warded off for the time being,” I told Roman.

He looked at me in utter awe and amazement, “I love you,” he croaked like he couldn’t stop saying it— like he didn’t want to stop saying it. I gestured for the blue bra and he handed it to me. “You’re the most amazing person I’ve ever met.”

I picked up a white handkerchief from his collection and waved it in the air, “Truce, remember.”

“That means surrender, Morgana.”

“Whatever,” I countered as I exchanged my purple panties for the blue ones. Roman caught my purple panties and put them to the side for himself. I took the gloves from him and slid them on. I know, I had my own gloves that he gave me, and I could have just used those… but where was the fun in that?

“You are…” He was at a complete loss of words. “You are Aphrodite on Earth.”

“I don’t think the gods would exactly condone our behavior, Mr. Sionis.”

He shrugged and pulled me back onto his lap, “Fuck them, then.”

I pushed myself off him before he could steal a kiss from me, then went on to change into the pink one. Roman was starting to get anxious and hard again, but I tried to pay no mind. I spun in the pink one for him so that he could see all of me, “This one’s my favorite, I think.”

“Jesus fucking Christ, woman…” he muttered under his breath. I smiled at the fact that he was at a total loss of words. “I love you so fucking much.”

“Have I broken the great Roman Sionis?” I inquired, dragging one of my gloved hands over his bicep at an achingly slow pace. Roman’s piercing blue eyes watched me toy with him. “We wouldn’t want that. Perhaps I should change,” I stated as I turned to go back to the wardrobe, but Roman grabbed my hand just in time and he pulled me back. Without warning, he grabbed my hips and he spun us so that he was now standing and I was laying on the bed.  _ Shit _ . “Okay, so, in hindsight—”

“No, you know what you did.”

“To be fair—”

“Nah uh. You aren’t talking yourself out of this one.”

_ Well. Shit.  _ Roman played nice earlier when I was sitting on the throne because it was cute at first, but me flaunting that power afterwards was probably a really bad idea. I could tell that Roman tried to forbear from breaking our truce because it was a cute, little game where I thought I had some upper hand, meanwhile he was getting a show and a million reasons to pin me under him again.

Roman knew how he’d win now. There was only one more thing that would completely tip me over the edge and drive me crazy, and it didn’t even require his touch. He exploited this knowledge. He teased me with it, waving the mask in my face briefly before sliding it over his head. I gulped and shuffled on the mattress.

I fully expected him in that moment to climb over me and take me roughly again to remind me exactly how things really worked. Yet, he didn’t make a move for the bed. I tried to not let my shock show as he took a seat in the desk chair after spinning it to face the bed. With his mask on, but nothing else, Roman watched me writhe on the bed. “Unfortunately, someone called a truce. So I can’t touch you and you can’t touch me…” he said from under the mask. I felt my heart literally skip a beat in my chest because of how husk his voice sounded underneath it. “But,” he began as he slowly began pumping his length in his hand, “no one’s stopping me from doing this—“

“—Roman, come on—“

“—And you’re going to watch.”

I whined quietly, feeling how wet I was again at just the sight of him. The looked so magnificent sitting in the chair, wearing nothing but his Black Mask, and touching himself to the image of me in my pink lingerie set I had showed off for him. Then, I figured that this game he was playing with me now was like every other game we played with each other. It always started with one of us having the upperhand— usually me— then the other managing to gain the power— usually him— until we were puddy in each other’s arms. In that moment, Roman had the original upperhand, but I knew how I would ultimately gain the power and convince him to stop playing his silly game.

So I sprawled my legs on the bed for him, and he halted his motions while gazing upon me. Roman looked at me as though he wanted to devour me, fuck me,  _ love  _ me for all of eternity. It was a look that only washed over him rarely, and it was only in moments like this, where I offered myself to him wholly. It only made me want him more. The intoxication of desire aside, Roman was the only one I wanted in my life, and I wanted to prove it to him. I wanted to love him forever.

I bent my knees and planted my feet on the mattress, feeling the softness of the silk sheets between my toes. My hands instinctively slid to my chest and I massaged my breasts lightly when Roman continued his motions on his cock. “Touch me, please… I’m begging you.” I squirmed. “Fuck loving me, Roman I want you to  _ fuck  _ me.” I wanted to feel what it was like to really have  _ him _ inside me, the feeling of having his flesh against mine.

“I already did. Twice.”

“Third time’s a charm.”

“Not today,” he said gruffly. I moaned and squirmed around, trailing my hands down. “Stop.” And I did. “Words.” I didn’t think I’d be able to speak ever again while drowning in desire like this. “Words or it will only get much worse for you.” I couldn’t imagine how things could get worse. “Test me…” But that was a threat I didn’t want to take him up on.

“Please, Roman, don’t leave me like this. Please… just let me touch myself if I can’t touch you.” Roman didn’t stop me when I moved for my panties again. My hand slid under them and my fingers drifted slowly over my clit. I jolted up, rolling my hips for more. I began circling my index and middle fingers over my clit. “Roman,” I moaned. I imagined that it was his fingers making me feel so good, and I thought about how he would have his way with me, not taking things slow or easy. Sex with him would be rough, quick, and hot. Together, our bodies pressed against each other, he would be thrusting into me with no remorse, his only goal to have me cum all over him as many times as he could get out of me. I moaned again. I imagined his weight above me as my hands gripped onto his back as euphoria would hit me hard, and he would just keep thrusting and thrusting. “Fuck…” My fingers slipped into me and I did what he would have done, went fast and hard. “Roman!” I moaned his name over and over again, thinking about him and how badly I wanted him.

“Stop,” he ordered. My hips fell against the mattress and my fingers stopped moving. As I caught my breath, I looked up at Roman sitting in the chair, his hand working fast on his length. “Keep your eyes on mine and continue.”

I did as I was told. Through his Black Mask, I could only see his bright blue eyes and how they turned dark when he saw me like this. Our eyes kept level, even as I heard him moan under the mask. I thought about how he could have been above me, my hands holding his masked head in order to keep our eye lines connected. “Roman, I’m close again.”

“Already, baby?”

I nodded.

“Can you feel my cum inside you?”

I nodded.

His eyes squeezed shut and his free hand balled up until his knuckles were white. He didn’t even have to say anything to tell me that he was tipping over the edge and I should join him. I watched him fall apart in his seat, his breath panting between moans and heavy groans of euphoria. The sight was enough to make me cum on my fingers for him when he reopened his eyes. My legs shook as I came down from my high, my hand sliding up to grope my chest tightly.

Roman reached over for his white handkerchief and waved it in the air as he slouched, “I surrender.” After putting the handkerchief down, he slowly pulled his mask off and set it on the desk. His hair fell in his face as he wiped away the sweat from his forehead. “Every time I think I have you figured out, Ms. Morgana, you manage to prove me wrong.”

“At least I keep you on your toes.”

“At least I’m not the only crazy one around here anymore.”

“I won’t tell Zsasz you said that.”

Roman grabbed a towel from the bathroom to clean up his chest and thighs. When he returned, he stopped in front of me, “If I approach, will you promise to keep your hands to yourself, Morgana?”

“I make no promises,” I smiled and he joined me in bed with a toothy grin. I wrapped one of my legs over his thigh, rested my head on his chest, and held his torso in my arms, “I love you and all the craziness you are, Roman Sionis.”

He kissed the top of my head and rested one of his large palms on my ass, “I love you and all the craziness you are, Morgana Wreef.”

_ I see you. I understand you. I like you. I love you. Roman Sionis, you mean everything and more to me. _


	20. Demons on My Shoulders

Roman didn’t like to share things, I knew that. He liked  _ owning  _ things, and he especially loved owning me. He loved taking me with him around the club now, his arm wrapped around my waist, a territorial mark. And the crazy part was, I didn’t mind it. I liked being shown off. I liked having value to someone for once. But all that proof wasn’t enough to stop him from proving it to me every night once we were alone or otherwise, really. The two of us were practically inseparable over the two months that we had been together. We were just  _ us  _ and  _ perfect _ , even though Roman had never really done the whole dating thing before.

Finally, one night down in The Black Mask Club, Zsasz, Roman, and I were sitting around one of the half circle booths that we liked to call “ours”. Roman and I had already made our second round around the club, and Dinah was starting her set up on the stage. Roman held me close to his hip as he watched Dinah sing, meanwhile Zsasz and I were teasing each other again.

Zsasz and I were discussing how well I was progressing with the knives, but he seemed inclined to insist that it was my only skill— that I had nothing else to offer in the way of  _ business _ . I scoffed and said that I could pickpocket if I ever so chose to do so, only because I knew Zsasz wasn’t very good at it. He had obviously tried before when the two of us were messing around, but he was never successful, and we both knew it.

The outside corners of Zsasz eyes wrinkled up as he smiled at me, “You’d never,” he laughed. Was he challenging me? How hard could it be to snatch a guy’s watch? “You’re not subtle enough for that.”

“Try me.”

Roman was eavesdropping, but his focus was still on his little songbird up on the stage, “What are we trying?”

“Zsasz doesn’t think I can get a guy’s watch off of him without being noticed. I think he underestimates me.”

“Don’t underestimate her,” Roman snarled.

“I’m just sayin’, boss. It’s not as easy as it looks.”

I looked at Zsasz and thought for a moment before saying, “Fine. Pick any guy in here and I’ll get their watch, no problem.”

Roman and Zsasz exchanged a glance. Was I challenging them? Yes. Did they like that? Kind of. So Zsasz pointed out a guy near the bar, sitting on a couch by himself, drinking a vodka tonic. He hadn’t been in the club earlier when Roman and I visited with everyone, which meant he had no idea who I was. Good.

Roman kissed my cheek, let me out of our booth, and slapped my ass, pushing me in the direction of my target. He took a seat next to Zsasz so that they could both watch me, thinking that I would fail miserably.

First, I went to the bar and ordered two vodka tonics. Marco was bartending that night, and he ignored the other customers when I approached, dropping what he was doing, and immediately poured what I wanted into two separate glasses. I didn’t have to pay or anything, obviously, which gained me a few curious and jealous glares from others standing at the bar.

I took the drinks over to the man Zsasz had appointed as my target and held out one of the glasses for him, “Need another one?” I asked innocently.

He looked down at his empty glass, then back up at me, “Thanks.” He set his empty glass to the side and accepted my offer. I sat next to him—  _ close  _ to him. “What’s your name?” I told him mine and asked for his. “Teller.”

“Pleasure to meet you, Teller,” I put the back of my palm out for him to kiss, and he did. “What brings a guy like you to a place like this, Teller?”

“Girls like you.”

“Oh?” I pretended to blush, hiding myself in my drink. He noticed that I was also drinking a vodka tonic and mentioned that I had a good eye and good taste. “You flatter me, Teller.” My eyes quickly shot over his shoulder to look at Roman and Zsasz, who were still watching me like a pair of hawks. “I have a good eye for good guys, too. Don’t you think?”

Teller gulped. He wasn’t the kind of guy to be assertive, but he was still the type of guy to tell me to fuck off, if that was what he wanted. Instead, “Clearly. I’ve been watching you, too,” he admitted. “Sitting over there with those guys. They your friends or something?”

So he really had no clue where he was or who we were… So naive like I was when I first attended The Black Mask Club. “Or something.” Teller accidentally over-tilted his glass before it could reach his lips, and the tonic drenched the front of his shirt. He jumped and cursed. I sprang into action, grabbing a black cloth napkin from the table, and asking, “May I?”

He nodded, grateful for the help, but he hadn’t anticipated that I would sit on his lap. I swung my leg over his thighs, held onto one shoulder with one hand, and started rubbing at the spill on his shirt with the other hand. His hands, however, went straight to my hips, holding me close to him. Teller  _ smelled _ my hair, and though I wanted to tense and back away from him, the look on Roman and Zsasz’s faces was all worth it. They both looked extremely pissed that I was sitting on some stranger’s lap in front of everyone.

My free hand, the one that wasn’t being used to help clean Teller’s mess, slid down the front of his body ever so slowly. I felt him twitch under me. The lower my hand went, the more sure I was to keep his eyes trained on mine, and to keep my other hand still using the napkin to rub at his shirt. The confusion of my separate touches and distractions was enough to keep his attention occupied long enough to drop my hand to his wrist against my hip. The clasp was fairly easy to undo, but making sure he didn’t feel the lifted weight was something else. So I made my move. In one foul swoop, I grabbed the watch and stood up. He didn’t notice a thing except for the growing length in his pants.

“I‘ll get us more drinks. On the house.”

“What?”

“My boyfriend owns the place. Anything you want, it’s yours.”

“Boyfriend—“ Teller looked over his shoulder in a panic to see Roman and Zsasz glaring daggers at him. “You didn’t tell me—“

“Marco!” I called over the music to the bartender. He looked at me with full attention. “Give Teller here everything he wants. It’s all on the house.”

Teller pulled the napkin from my hand and put it over his lap in an attempt to cover himself and kept his eyes to himself as I walked off. The further I got from Teller and the closer I got to the boys, a smile slowly appeared on my face. I held the gold watch up for them to see, shaking it in Zsasz’s face.

When I got there, I dropped the watch on the table and slid in across from them, “It’s not that hard, Zsasz.”

“That’s cheating, boss!” Zsasz argued as Roman came to sit next to me again. “I can’t do that!”

“Well, you can, Zsasz. Just with a certain caliber of a guy.”

Zsasz huffed.

“That was a bad idea, love,” Roman whispered in my ear, referring to sitting on a total stranger’s lap.

I raised a brow and scooted closer to him, “Oh, yeah?” I reached under the table to feel how hard he was. “Then why are you hard?” Zsasz watched us out of the corner of his eye, but I noticed his uncomfortable shifting. “Oh,” I whispered in Roman’s ear, just loud enough for Zsasz to also hear, “you both are.” Zsasz cleared his throat and Roman snatched my hand away from palming him. “Did it get you all bothered to see me with another man, baby?” His eyes snapped to mine and he didn’t look impressed. I snickered and slid around the booth to be next to Zsasz, across from Roman. I watched my boyfriend as my hand covered Zsasz’s hard-on, and I smirked. “Both of you? Really?”

“Stop it,” Zsasz whispered, not wanting to get in trouble with Roman. I was Roman’s girl, after all, and he still hadn’t made it abundantly clear if he wanted to share me with Zsasz yet. But the erections in their pants was enough to tell me what they both wanted. He hissed as my fingers found the outline of his cock and started playing with him.

Roman watched us, but I couldn’t tell if it was with desire or anger. Either way, I knew I was in for it. Couldn’t hurt to test the waters at this point. “I got the watch, so what’s my prize, Zsasz?”

“Boss,” he breathed, “you gotta get your girl in line.”

“She is,” Roman said, and I knew what that meant. I was right.

“Boss,” he started pleading.

“What, Zsasz? Afraid you’re going to cum in your pants before you’ve even felt what it’s like to be inside me?” I asked.

“There are people in here, little rose. You want everyone to watch, is that it?”

“Come on, Zsasz. What’s the harm—”

“Sorry to interrupt,” one of the guards apologized as he approached. “There’s a problem up front,” he pointed to the entrance. I slid away from Zsasz while everyone looked over to see what the issue was. I stopped in my path around the booth when I saw Erika’s blonde hair springing up and down as she tried to jump over the bouncer’s shoulder while calling for Roman’s attention. “What do you want us to do?”

I looked at the back of Roman’s head as he nodded an approval to let her in. The guard hurried back to the entrance to let Erika into the club as he was instructed to do so. The question was, why was Erika barred from entering in the first place? I inquired about this to both the men at the table.

Roman turned back to me, “I took her off the list after I met you.”  _ Why the fuck would you do that?  _ “She knew too much about you and had too many connections to this place, but I couldn’t just kill her, so I figured that the best way to keep her quiet, instead, was to just keep her away. Is that a crime?”

“That’s why I haven’t seen her this whole time…” I realized. I didn’t know why I really cared so much. Yes, Erika was always nice to me, and in some strange way, I considered her to be my first friend in Gotham; but I didn’t really know her. Yet, as her and all of her friends from Janus, Co. came into the club for a night of fun, I felt somewhat obligated to explain myself to them once they noticed that I was sandwiched between Roman and Zsasz in our booth. “She’s my friend, Roman.” I had never admitted that aloud about anyone before. Sure, Zsasz was my friend, of course, but it wasn’t like it needed to be said. With Erika, I felt like it was important to set that boundary. I started moving back towards Zsasz and I pushed him out of the booth so that I could head over to the booth Erika and her friends claimed.

They looked up at me, some of them in confusion, others in shock. “We thought you were dead,” Sean told me in shock.

“Or missing,” Erika politely corrected. They hadn’t meant to insinuate that Roman or Zsasz would kill me. “We just hadn’t heard from you in awhile, that’s all, Mor.” She wasn’t her usual, bubbly self, which was off putting. “How have you been?”

“I’ve actually been… pretty great,” I admitted. “After leaving Janus, I actually moved in with Roman.”

They all seemed shocked, but Sean chuckled, “Someone finally beat you to it, Erika.”

“I’ll cry about it once I’m drunk,” Erika smiled up at me. “Why don’t you take a seat? Phebe was just telling us this horror story about this old people home she used to volunteer in during high school.” They all shuffled in the booth to shrink the space between them so that there was a spot for me on the end. Erika patted the empty space beside her and I sat down. She pulled me close, “I’m only mildly shocked, by the way,” she whispered into my ear. “He wouldn’t stop asking about you those first few days you came to town. I knew he was in love with you the minute he laid eyes on you.”

I sat up straight and looked over at Roman, sitting across the club and watching me. I smiled and bit my lip, knowing that it would drive him crazy, but also tell him that I wasn’t mad at him for pushing Erika away.  _ At least he didn’t kill her, right? _

Phebe continued her story for her friends, but I didn’t take my eyes off Roman until Erika tugged at my sleeve for my attention, “Aren’t you glad I told you about this place?” I chuckled and nudged her elbow before stealing a peanut from the plate in the middle.

After about thirty minutes of pretending like I was interested in Phebe’s story about picking up old people shit, Sean started telling a story about his first boyfriend in middle school. The story was more invigorating, simply because of the humor that came with a middle school gay romance, but I was still very bored and I was counting the minutes until I could return to Roman.

The club was starting to fill up around us, though, and I spotted Roman starting his first walk around the club when Zsasz suddenly came over and grabbed my bicep in his hand and pulled me from my seat in the booth with my friends. I asked what was going on as I stood and started following him while he forcefully pulled me through the crowd. “We need to get you upstairs,” he answered. My eyes shot over to Roman, who was standing from his seat and adjusting his suit nervously.  _ What the fuck has them both so shaken up?  _ My blood was starting to pump while we wove our way through the growing crowd. I didn’t even know so many people could fit into The Black Mask Club at once.

“Oh, Mr. Zsasz!” a man called over the music in a sing-song voice. Zsasz stopped in his tracks, keeping me there with him. His eyes fell shut and he cursed under his breath at the realization that we had been caught doing something we probably shouldn’t have been doing. “Where are you taking that pretty, little thing?”

Zsasz turned, making me do the same. We faced the now quiet crowd, the music fading out like someone had commanded it. The crowd parted like the Dead Sea and I could finally see who it was Zsasz wanted me to avoid, and who Roman was all nervous about.  _ Holy fucking shit.  _ The Joker. His pale white face, neon green hair, and tattoo covered body were immediately recognizable. I finally put the pieces of the puzzle together in my head… The Joker had come in, bringing the crowd with him, and Roman didn’t want me getting involved, so he was sending me upstairs, but when I caught the Joker’s eye,  _ he _ was the one who stopped the music.  _ Is it too late to act like I’m not really here? Probably. _

“Bring her closer, don’t be shy.”

I tried pulling against Zsasz when he began leading the way towards the Joker. This was our club still. We had every right to do what we wanted— including not listening to the Joker. Right? I looked over at my shoulder at Roman and mouthed, “What’s going on?” He looked absolutely paralyzed in place. Perhaps it was better if the Joker didn’t know who I was to Roman.

Zsasz pushed me onto a couch in the middle of the room, facing the Joker and his girlfriend Harley Quinn. She was staring at her lover, but he was staring at me. The Joker pushed Harley off of him when she started pulling at his arm for his attention.

“Aren’t you a thing of beauty,” the Joker complimented with a laugh. “What’s your name, then?” I looked up at Zsasz, but he kept his eyes glued to the floor. “Do you need permission to speak? If you do, then I give it,” he laughed.

I glared at him daringly, but it only amused him. “Mor Wreef.”

Joker growled and leaned back in his seat, coddling Harley against his side, “I have heard of you. Those Society creeps were looking for you a while back. Guess they never caught up to you.”

“They did,” I corrected. “But they’re dead now.”

Even though the entire club was watching us, including Erika and her friends, no one seemed to say or do anything when I admitted it. Joker was the only one who seemed interested and impressed. Meanwhile, Harley was desperately trying to gain Joker’s favor again, which was a wild distraction to the conversation. I was trying with every ounce of strength I had to keep my cool and not look back at Roman for back up. I understood that I was on my own, and that I had to play along with the whole charade. 

“Where were you and Mr. Zsasz headed, gorgeous?”

Zsasz tensed, supposedly worried that I’d say the wrong thing, but I, of course, knew better. “To talk somewhere a bit more  _ private _ . You brought one hell of a loud crowd with you.” 

Joker smiled, pleased with my answer. I watched him carefully, taking note of every detail I could about him. When Harley wasn’t messing it up, Joker’s green hair was always slicked back out of his face, and he liked to keep it that way every time Harley got bored of playing with it. And even though he had bright red lipstick on to really bring to life the idea of “the clown”, he had a giant laughing mouth tattoo on his hand, which he enjoyed using to cover his smile. Sometimes, though, I’d catch a glimpse of his teeth before he could hide his smile, and I started making a game of counting how many of them were covered with gold and silver plates.

I suddenly realized something about the Joker and Roman. When I first met Roman, I found myself so fascinated that he could command a crowd with a flick of his wrist because they loved and respected him so much. However, when it came to the Joker, they obeyed him simply because they were scared of him. There was nothing interesting or redeeming about that. In fact, it only made me aware of how long I was thinking about tackling him to the ground.

He gestured to the stage and the music started up again. The crowd’s life was reborn and people continued dancing around us. Zsasz took this opportunity to move closer to me, playing it off as though someone had nudged him by accident.

“I never much cared for the owner of this place or his little guard dog,” Joker said, referring to Roman and Zsasz… while Zsasz was standing right there. “But Harley, here, loves this club, so I oblige her every once in a while. The things you do for love, right?” I stayed quiet. “Have you ever been in love, Mor?” he cackled like something was funny about that question. But, then again, he somehow found  _ everything _ funny. I shook my head and Harley pouted on my behalf. Joker cheered her up with one of his palms squeezing her ass. She yelped and laughed and he growled in her ear. “What does it take to get a drink around here, anyways?”

Roman suddenly appeared like he had heard that the king of Gotham himself required something. I never saw Roman so anxious and obedient before. “How are things over here?” he asked Joker and Harley, ignoring me. I bit my tongue. “Do we need anything? Perhaps some more cocktails.”

Harley perked up, “Oh, yes! Something  _ spicy _ for me, Romy.”

“Right away, Ms. Quinn. And for the honorary guest?” he gestured to Joker.

“I’ll have whatever the lady has,” Joker responded, staring at me and paying no mind to Roman.

“A mojito with extra mint,” I croaked, keeping my eyes level with Joker’s. My heart tugged towards Roman, but I didn’t know what larger plan there was in us acting like we didn’t know each other, and I couldn’t fuck with that. So I listened to my mind instead of my heart and acted like Roman wasn’t even there.

“Of course,” Roman nodded and bowed his head before hurrying off to the bar. I watched him out of the corner of my eye tell Marco the three drinks Joker had ordered for his girlfriend and his guest. Marco appeared to say something about me, but Roman told him to shut up and make the drinks. When Roman returned with three glasses, he handed Joker and Harley their drinks first with care, but then he gave me mine without even sharing a glance, but I managed to touch the ring on his pinky before he snatched away his hand.  _ I see you _ . “Whatever else you need, don’t be shy to ask.”

“Thank you, Romy,” Harley cheered before taking a sip of her ‘spicy’ drink.

“You’re dismissed,” Joker said coldly. I wanted to beg Roman not to leave, but he left before either of us could say or do anything. “Tell me how a beautiful creature like you happened upon this dump.”

“I came with my friends,” I pointed to Erika, Sean, and Phebe. Joker didn’t look over his shoulder to see to whom I was referring, because he simply didn’t care enough. With my hand shaking like a fucking earthquake, I brought my drink to my lips, yet the Joker didn’t touch his. “But I don’t think I care for this place, either.” I could sense that Zsasz was trying his very hardest to not laugh at that.

“And what about the owner?” Joker egged on.

_Does he know who I am, then?_ _Why ask such a question if you didn’t already know that there was more to the story…_ I wondered if perhaps one of the False Face Society members told him what I meant to Roman when they were asking around Gotham for help finding me. Maybe this was Joker’s little game to fuck with me and Roman before doing something utterly unthinkable.

“Who cares? He’s obviously not the most powerful man in this place,” I answered, keeping to the game  _ we _ were playing against  _ him _ . Harley eyed me carefully at that comment. “That is what you meant, is it not?” Joker cackled and took a sip of the drink I practically ordered for him. I hoped that there was poison in it. “But he’s not much to look at, either, if that’s what you meant.” It pained me to say it, yet I kept a straight face the whole way through.

Harley— Ms. Overprotective, if you will— had decided enough was enough of me taking Joker’s attention away from her, so she resulted to a drastic measure, “Can we go dancin’, puddin’?” she asked while nibbling at his jaw.

He rolled his eyes and growled, “Can’t it wait?”

“Come on, puddin’! You know it’ll be fun!”

Joker sighed, “The things you do for love, Mor.” He brought his palm to his mouth to show off his laughing tattoo before letting Harley drag him into the crowd of dancers.

The minute they were out of sight, surrounded by jumping and dancing party-goers, Zsasz and I were reaching for each other. We didn’t even have a proper grip on each other before we started dashing towards the exit, ducking down so that Joker couldn’t spot us trying to leave again. I didn’t even get a chance to look back for Roman before Zsasz kicked the door open and pulled me into the small concrete hallway that was in front of the steps that led to the penthouse. I pushed the door shut and we started up the stairs, skipping as many as we could at a time.

We pushed into the penthouse and I let out a deep breath, like I had been holding it that entire time I was sitting with Joker. I felt a weight lift off my chest and I found myself again. We stayed in the hallway while I tried not to collapse. Every bit of Joker reminded me of Tula. Not the outfit or appearance… but the demeanor. Both Joker and Tula were scary men who liked to abuse power in order to entertain themselves. And it all took me back to those two horrible days that Tula and the others had me. I thought about how I couldn’t breathe in that pool, and how it felt oddly similar to the way I suffocated silently while around Joker. 

“You did good, little rose,” Zsasz said, leaning against the opposite wall. “I honestly thought all three of us would be dead by now.”

The door to the penthouse opened and Roman entered. I turned to him, about to ask what all of that was about, but he was practically running at me, and before I could even utter a syllable, his lips were on mine and he was pushing me against the wall. His hands ran up and down my sides, testing to see if I was still real and still in front of him. My hands draped around the back of his neck as I kissed back.

“I love you so much,” he whispered between kisses and catching his breath. His hands traveled under my dress and held my thighs as he lifted me off my feet, keeping me pressed against the wall for support.

My legs wrapped around his waist, “It was just a game?” I asked as a reassurance after pausing our kiss so that we could both take a moment to breathe. The whole time in the club, when he acted like he didn’t know me, it felt like a game we would play, but I just had to make sure. And I had to know the truth of what was really going on.

“It was just a game, baby.”

“Why?”

Roman put me down and started to explain everything from his point of view.

_ Down in the club, Zsasz and Roman were quiet after I left to talk to Erika and her friends. After how I had teased and played with them, they weren’t sure what to say to each other. In the past, Roman and Zsasz enjoyed sharing partners, because they shared almost everything. And while Roman strangely enjoyed watching me tease Zsasz the way I did, it felt different. Before, the women— and men— they had been with, meant nothing. I was different. Roman truly, deeply loved me, and Zsasz knew it. Neither of them seemed off-put by the idea of sharing me, if that was something I wanted, they just knew that it would be vastly different from anything they had ever done before. So perhaps it was a good thing we were interrupted before things could progress. _

_ Minutes seemed to drag between them. Roman didn’t even speak up when his glass dried up, and Zsasz didn’t offer to get him something. Roman was just trying to watch me with a pressed smile and remind himself of how I made him feel. _

I bit my lip at his compliment mid-way through his story.

_ Roman finally decided to ask one of the guards standing nearby for a new drink. Zsasz grabbed a coin from his pocket and started spinning it on the table to keep himself interested in something other than the thought of being inside me... When the man returned with Roman’s new drink, Zsasz looked up. He looked at the man, the drink, Roman, and then the entrance to the club which was just over Roman’s shoulder. _

_ Zsasz stiffened and dropped the coin. Roman looked at him and raised a curious brow. Zsasz was already scrambling to his feet when he started to explain his behavior, “Joker and his bitch of a girlfriend just walked in.” _

_ Roman turned to look over his shoulder and felt his heart drop to his stomach when he saw the king and queen of Gotham walking into his club. The Joker had come in plenty of times before, but there was always drama around it. Both the Joker and Harley had a tendency to destroy things because neither of them valued other people’s things— especially Roman’s things. They absolutely hated Roman because of his plans to one day rule the underworld of Gotham, too; but they loved The Black Mask Club enough to keep coming back. Basically, they found it fun to find new ways to fuck with Roman while they were at The Black Mask Club. _

_ The last time they had come in, Harley made a comment that it wasn’t fun anymore because there was nothing new to torture Roman with. Perhaps that was why their absence from the club had extended for so long. But they were back now, and there was something new for them to chew up and spit out: Me. _

_ Roman didn’t even have to give Zsasz the order before his henchman was already across the club and collecting me from my friends. _

“You were just trying to get me out of there before Joker could see me?”

Roman nodded and continued his story.

_ Joker and Harley sat down on one of the couches set in the middle of the room as the crowd grew around them. Everytime they came in, they brought a large loud and destructive crowd with them because they had the ability to get anyone and everyone in without a key to the place. Simply because they were the king and queen of Gotham and they could do anything. _

_ Roman watched with a fast beating heart as Zsasz led me through the crowd, racing for the exit that led up to the penthouse. I would be safe there for the night until he could come up and explain himself, just as he was doing now. But that was the plan, anyway. As Zsasz tried to sneak me out, Roman stood to go greet the royalty who had waltzed into his club, despite the fact that he really didn’t want to. _

_ Then, Joker caught a glimpse of Zsasz’s white hair heading for the exit and then spotted the beautiful girl on his arm. Joker always had an interest in everything pretty and shiny, even when Harley was around; because, again, they valued nothing, not even their relationship. “Oh, Mr. Zsasz!” he called over the music in a sing-song voice. Zsasz stopped in his tracks, keeping me there with him. His eyes fell shut and he cursed under his breath at the realization that we had been caught doing something we probably shouldn’t have been doing. “Where are you taking that pretty, little thing?” Zsasz turned, making me do the same. We faced the now quiet crowd, the music fading out like someone had commanded it. The crowd parted like the Dead Sea. “Bring her closer, don’t be shy.” _

_ Roman thought that he was going to shout the wrong thing… or maybe even puke all over his own floor. He could only pray that Joker and Harley would never figure out who I really was. He knew that I was smart enough to not give up a game if he instigated it, but he just had to catch my eye first to make it apparent. _

“I just kept thinking to myself: I don’t know you. Don’t tell them you know me. Please. This is for you… Just do it.”

_ He watched me while I tried pulling against Zsasz when he began leading the way towards the Joker. When I looked over my shoulder briefly and mouthed, “What’s going on?”, he knew that his moment to tell me something had come. So he stood there, like he looked absolutely paralyzed in place, his eyes shot wide, and he didn’t respond. The game was on. And now all he could do now was pray that I understood. _

“I did, baby.” My hands fisted his hair gently, “I understand you,” I kissed him again.

_ When I sat down with Joker, Roman knew that he had to let an acceptable amount of time pass before approaching us so that Joker couldn’t connect any dots or something of that nature. Roman had to think strategically about how to navigate keeping everyone alive and how he was going to get me out. _

“But she did that all on her own,” Zsasz spoke up.

Roman clenched his jaw, “Thank you for that, Zsasz,” he said sarcastically.

“She went along with it, by the way,” Zsasz informed Roman.  _ As if that wasn’t clear, Zsasz. Ugh. _ “Joker has no idea who she is.” Roman relaxed in my arms. “She’s a big girl, boss, she can handle herself.”

“I have no doubt of that, Victor. It doesn’t erase the fact that I can’t lose her,” he tucked one of my curls behind my ear, “and I worry about her all the time because of that.”

_ When I touched Roman’s ring when he was handing me my drink, it gave him some sort of reassurance that everything was going to be okay, but it didn’t excuse the fact that he was still anxious about how things were going to proceed. Joker dismissed him before he could try to coax them away or create some distraction. _

“Jesus, we get it,” Zsasz groaned, pushing himself off the wall opposite me and Roman. He walked down the hallway and headed to the corner where the decanter cart was. “You would do anything for each other, blah, blah, blah. I thought we left all of this teenage soap opera shit behind us like a month ago.”

“Zsasz, do you not respect true love?” Roman hissed.

“Come on, boss. It wasn’t even that big of a deal. Joker and Harley are fucking crazy, yeah, but so the fuck are the two of you. Mor doesn’t need a guardian angel all the fucking time.”

“The last time—”

“I get it, the last time we let down our guard, the Society took her. You won’t stop using that argument for  _ everything _ .” Zsasz picked up the crystal decanter that had gin in it. “Mor’s not the same girl who happened upon our club one night and was all tongue tied when you asked her for help killing your father.” He started pouring the gin into a glass for himself, “I’m convinced now that she’s got a bigger pair of balls than either of us because of all the shit she’s endured and learned. You think just any girl could do what she did to Richard or to those Society fuckers?” he laughed and shook his head. “Joker coming in tonight was  _ bad _ , I’ll give you that.” He put the decanter down. “But we all know that he’s going to find out who she is sooner or later, and I’m sure that once that happens, Mor can take care of it herself. Why? Because she’s proven herself to be an immovable force in front of the fucking Joker. So, enough of this worrying about what’s going to happen once Joker finds out, because he won’t be able to do shit, because Mor won’t just lie down and take it.” He drank his gin and took a seat at the dining table.

“Are you done?” Roman asked.

“I’m done.”

I bit my lip, trying to hold back the smile which was forming. There Roman and I were, so caught up in trying to be dramatic and romantic, and Zsasz was just trying to live his best life in a bottle of gin. He certainly told us both off. And while it shouldn’t have been funny, I couldn’t help the chuckle that left my throat.

Roman turned to look at me, finding that I was laughing, “I was trying to be romantic,” he attempted to explain himself.

I kissed his cheek and nimbly escaped his arms before going to the bar cart and grabbing two more glasses and one of the crystal decanters that had the bourbon in it. I sat down in the seat next to Zsasz and poured two glasses— one for me, and one for Roman, for when he would decide to stop being angry over nothing and join us. I relaxed in my seat and clinked the bottom edge of my glass against Zsasz’s. We saluted our glasses to each other before taking synced up swigs.

Roman slouched his shoulders and walked over to us. He snatched up his glass before taking his seat next to me. The three of us sat there silently, drinking and thinking about the shit show that was our night. I chuckled again and asked Zsasz where that watch I stole was. He glared at me and refilled his glass with the bourbon sitting on the table. And that was how we ended perhaps our most eventful night in a very long time.


	21. With the Devil in My Mind

After knowing Roman for two months, and dating him for nearly two weeks short of that milestone, I felt like I had known Roman a lifetime. Life never got boring with him around, and he made sure to keep me on my toes all the time. Our little games we would play were always fun, and they always ended with us upstairs in the penthouse, doing things that were certainly more than R rated. But all the sex aside, Roman was  _ the one _ . I knew it the moment my heart first tugged towards him the first time we met, but I didn’t understand it until far after that when Roman and I started to make sense of everything together.

There was one day where he told me everything about his mother. He had never  _ met _ her, only because she died while giving birth to him, but he grew up listening to strangers tell him stories about what she was like because his own father wouldn’t tell him anything. Apparently she was the most beautiful woman in Gotham, born and raised in the wealthy sector of the city. That was where she met Richard when they were younger. They were immediately inseparable, just like me and Roman. He told me that his mother was the only person Richard ever truly loved, and therefore couldn’t forgive Roman for killing his mother.

My hand fell against his bicep in an attempt to console him, “You didn’t kill your mother.”

Some part of Roman understood that he didn’t actually kill his mother. There was nothing he could have done to harm her or save her, and therefore he couldn’t be held responsible. Yet, his father tortured him with the blame for forever, and he had convinced himself that his father was right. That was why he followed the path he did.

After that, I thought a lot about how Roman had told me everything about him. Like we had agreed, there were no secrets between us. Well, almost. There was still one thing I was too scared to admit to Roman— or anyone, for that fact. But some part of me felt guilty about not telling Roman the full truth when he had told me everything, even though he was scared to do so. I knew that he didn’t want to talk about his mother or how he felt in some way responsible for her death. Yet he did it because he loved me and he wanted there to be no secrets between us. I had to share that same courtesy.

So on the night that we were celebrating our two months together by relaxing down in the club, I decided that it was time to get it all off my chest. Something as important as what I was about to tell him couldn’t just be shared in the booth with everyone around, but I didn’t want to be alone in the penthouse either. So, out of the clear blue, I asked if we could go up to the second level of the club. Roman cocked a brow but gave in. He ordered Zsasz to kick everyone off the upper level before we headed up there.

I hadn’t really been up to the second floor before. I mean, I had checked it out once before when it was daytime and it was just me in the club with nothing to do but explore, but I never really spent much time up there. It was a nice change of pace for us.

My legs, for some reason, were aching— honestly, it was probably because of how often Roman would fuck me into the mattress— but I couldn’t stand up and tell Roman the whole story. There was nowhere to sit up there but the floor, and while it was absolutely disgusting, I didn’t think twice about taking a seat. It was sticky from spilled drinks and there were various crumbs everywhere, but I didn’t exactly mind it.

Roman was leaning back against the black railing and watching me as I sat comfortable on the ground. I had come from a place and a family where sitting on disgusting floors wasn’t a rare occurrence, and the floor of The Black Mask Club was probably one of the cleanest floors I had sat on, to be honest. But Roman was so fascinated by my choice, perhaps thinking that I was brave to even consider such an idea. I had to remember that we didn’t share the same backgrounds when it came to social class, and that his father would have scolded him for weeks on end for daring to do even something so simple like sitting on the ground.

“There’s something I want to tell you,” I whispered. Roman nodded a gesture for me to continue. “The last time I told someone, my whole family disowned me. But there’s no one I’d rather discuss this with than you because I think you would understand. You… of all people will understand.” Roman’s eyes softened. “Will you… Will you just  _ hold me _ while I tell you? I know that it’s a weird thing to ask, but I—”

Roman pushed himself from the railing and stepped in front of me. My eyes followed him as he moved to sit on the disgusting floor with me. Before I could say or do anything else, Roman wrapped his arms around me and pulled me back gently so that I could rest comfortably on his chest. I rested against him and sighed at the sudden warmth of safety.

Roman kissed the temple of my head, “Tell me anything, baby.”

“When we were dealing with Richard on the docks, you mentioned my uncle. How much do you know?”

He shrugged, “We could only dig up that he went missing and the police suspected foul play. Once I knew you were like me, I put the pieces together myself. My mentioning of it was me just testing the waters, to see if I was right. I was.”

“There’s more to it than that.”  _ Obviously _ . I squeezed his hand for reassurance that he was there, that I was safe, and that we were still us. “When I was ten, I first met my uncle. He had just moved into our house because he was completely broke, and my mother decided that we would make room for him until he could get back on his feet. Even though we were dirt poor, and my parents had four children to care for, they opened our home to him. My brother Godfrey and I ended up sharing a bedroom so that our uncle could have his own, but that didn’t stop what happened after that. After about a month was when my uncle started coming in at night. He always did it when Godfrey and I were asleep, and he would wake me up quietly…  _ He _ … Well,  _ He _ … you know…” A tear slid down my cheek and I realized that I couldn’t actually say it. Even after all these years, I still couldn’t face it. Telling Roman reminded me of when I told my family… But I had myself convinced that this time would be different. “ _ He _ did it for years. And everytime my family tried to help  _ Him  _ move out,  _ He’d  _ make up some excuse to stay with us so that  _ He _ could be near me. When I was little, I didn’t really understand what was happening, and I especially didn’t know how to react. I trusted  _ Him _ , and I thought that it was normal… But when I grew up and realized that it wasn’t normal, but I couldn’t tell anyone because I felt like no one would believe me because  _ He  _ was such a likeable guy, so I kept it to myself.

Then, when Godfrey went off to college, there was no reason for  _ Him _ to wait until everyone was asleep… It only got worse, and I finally told  _ Him _ to stop, and that if  _ He  _ continued, I’d go to the police.  _ He  _ laughed at me and pinned me down and…” I still couldn’t admit it. Not even my family knew about that part. But I wanted Roman to know. I wanted him to be the only person I would ever share that secret with. “So  _ He  _ started getting violent when I’d protest it. And still, no one found out— not even when I had bruises everywhere or I’d miss days of school or would walk funny. Everyone at school thought I had an abusive boyfriend and my family thought that I was some whore that hooked up with the wrong kinds of guys. No one stopped to think about what was actually going on, and I didn’t tell them. 

On my eighteenth birthday, my family went out to our grandparents’s farm out in the middle of nowhere. That was when I announced that I was going to another state for college.  _ He _ got angry with me, and  _ He  _ pulled me into the barn and locked the door.  _ He  _ was planning on finding a way to keep me at home, but when  _ His _ back was turned, I noticed the butcher’s knife for the meat was sitting on the table next to me. I didn’t even realize what I was doing when I picked it up and hacked it into  _ His  _ left shoulder. After that, I just kept hitting  _ Him _ until I knew that he was dead, and then some for good measure... 

There was a lot of blood, and  _ He  _ had screamed at first, and my prints were all over the weapon. I figured that there was no way in hell I’d get away with it, but I knew I had to try. So I cut  _ Him _ to pieces and I put  _ Him _ through the old meat grinder in the barn, and I buried the knife under the pigpen after dousing it in any fucking chemicals I could find. As for the blood, it was a barn, and my grandpa liked to kill the livestock in there because he was psychotic like that, so all the blood just sort of pooled together… And  _ His _ screams… No one heard them because of the pigs, and the chickens, and the cows all making noises over  _ Him _ .

I was in the clear for a few days after that until my mother noticed that he hadn’t come back to the farm.  _ He _ was known to go missing every so often, but  _ He _ always came back because of me… But  _ He _ hadn’t come back this time. My mother saw me with  _ Him _ last, but I shook it off like  _ He _ had gone for a walk after  _ He  _ congratulated me on my college decision.

I think my mother and my father always knew that something went wrong that weekend. I mean, they had the cops go check it out, they hired a private investigator a couple of times, and they even went back themselves to see if they could figure it out. But no one ever found out.  _ He _ did all of those horrible things to me for years, and all it took was five minutes of hacking and  _ He _ was gone from my life entirely. And  _ He _ will never get justice.”

“What did you tell your family before they kicked you out?” Roman asked.

“The whole family was in town for Christmas, except for Godfrey, but I figured it was better if I didn’t tell him because I knew he’d feel guilty about not helping me when we were younger. So I chose that weekend to tell my family about the monster  _ He _ really was. I guess, in hindsight, Christmas probably wasn’t the best time to admit such a thing, but when is it ever the right time? So I told them everything except for what happened on my birthday, but my parents put two and two together before I could say ‘eggnog’. None of them wanted to hear it because they all loved him so much, so they acted like I was a liar and they kicked me out. My siblings didn’t defend me, and my parents entirely disowned me. So I packed my bags and I came to Gotham to start over.”

“And the nightmares?” Roman inquired. I stiffened. I never told him about the nightmares, or the fact that  _ He  _ liked to haunt me in my weakest moments. I hadn’t mentioned anything about those things. “You used to cry  _ His  _ name when you were having nightmares, but they—”

“—They stopped when I met you.”

Roman nodded.

“No one knows about that part of my life, Roman. It’s not an easy thing to admit, especially to someone you love and you don’t want to lose.”

“You know I love you, right?”

“Of course.”

“Then listen to me very carefully. Fuck family. They never did anything for us, and they certainly don’t deserve us. You and me, we’re the only thing that matters now, baby. If you don’t want to tell me, then I won’t pry. You’ve been very brave to tell me this much.”

“You were the one to show me the darkness in me… You made me understand that whatever demons I have inside me shouldn’t be suppressed, rather they should be utilized. But this demon, Roman,  _ He’s _ the darkest of them all and I think that  _ He  _ should stay buried. I felt like I could tell you this now because  _ He’s  _ been buried since Zsasz rescued me from the Society, but I don’t want to risk inviting  _ Him  _ to resurface.  _ He’s _ stronger than all of the demons inside us both. Does that make sense?”

Roman put our gloved hands together before bringing mine to his lips and kissing it delicately, “The demons inside us both are the only ones you should ever find solace in.  _ He _ is not one of those. I see you and I understand you, Morgana. More than you will ever know.”

Zsasz skipped the steps up to the second floor and stayed a respectable distance before Roman and I noticed his presence and invited him over. I stood up and helped Roman to his feet so that he wouldn’t have to put his nice gloves on the sticky floor. Zsasz patted Roman’s shoulder excitedly before whispering something in his ear.

Roman’s face lit up and he pulled away from Zsasz, “You’re sure?”

“Just got the call.”

“Holy shit!” Roman gasped.

“ _ Holy shit _ !” Zsasz laughed in a mixture of wickedness and happiness.

Roman turned back to me and took my hands, “The Maroni’s just agreed to our terms.” My eyes widened and I smiled just as brightly as the two of them were. I flung my arms around his shoulders, then he lifted me up and swung me around in the air. “I can’t believe it.” He set me down and asked Zsasz, “So what do we have to do?”

“He wants to welcome you to the family,” Zsasz answered. “ _ Both _ of you.”

“He knows?” I inquired about  _ the _ Salvatore Maroni. Roman had always dreamed of getting the Maroni family on his side because he knew that it was a giant leap towards his goal of becoming the king of Gotham. Being allies to the Maroni’s meant that everything was going to change. But the fact that he knew about me was perhaps cause for mild concern— not as much as it was with the Joker, but still.

Zsasz nodded, “There’s some kind of initiation, I guess. He’s invited you both over to his place tonight for drinks.”

“Baby,” I held Roman’s face in my hands, “this is the best news we’ve had in weeks. We have to go.”

Roman chuckled and shrugged, “‘Kay. Do we have time to let off a little steam?” he grinned widely.

I shook my head and pulled at his tie, leading the way up to the penthouse. After sitting on the floor together, with me crying away my makeup, we had to get ready before seeing fucking Salvatore Maroni. We were going to look shiny and perfect for him, and make the best impression. This was too important to not take seriously.

I wasn’t even sure what the hell Roman did the other week during his meeting with Maroni in order to convince them to go into business with us, but I was so proud of him regardless.


	22. The Devil's Work

I couldn’t stop staring at Roman for the entirety of the drive to Salvatore Maroni’s family mansion. He looked so handsome in the moonlight, and the bright smile that was lighting up his face had me feeling like complete jello beside him as my heart skipped beats. He looked so fucking good in his blue suit and black gloves, and with one of his hands rested on my thigh, kneading it like dough as he started to get anxious. My matching blue dress was slowly sliding up my leg, and Roman looked tempted, but he stopped himself.  _ God, I love you, Roman Sionis. _ That was all I could think as I stared at him.

After what he said about family, and how we were all that mattered now, I fully realized something: Roman and Zsasz were  _ my  _ family, and The Black Mask Club was  _ my _ home. I never thought I’d ever say that about anything or anyone. I never thought that I would somehow find my place in the shittiest city in America, which was Gotham— and I certainly never imagined that it would be at Roman’s side. But I found home in the unlikeliest of places, and I couldn’t believe I didn’t recognize it earlier. That night, though, I knew it was true. Roman was my family, and we were all that mattered.

_ I want you so bad. _ I always wanted him. I wanted him everywhere, all the time. It didn’t matter where we were or what we were doing, I wanted to love and fuck him every second of every day. And he was just teasing me so much with an innocent touch on my thigh. But I loved the power he held, and that surrounded him. He carried the idea of power and strength with him in every breath and every stride, and it intoxicated me beyond belief. That night, when we were headed to Maroni’s place, he carried it more proudly than I had ever seen before. 

“You’re perfect,” I muttered, not realizing I had said it aloud. Roman blushed at my comment and kissed me.

We were there, parking in front of Salvatore Maroni’s house, about to become a part of  _ his _ family. Being a part of the Maroni underground operations meant more than just money. It meant protection and loyalty. Zsasz mentioned an initiation of sorts, and I knew that once we would pass it— not  _ if _ , but  _ when _ — we would be untouchable. People like Joker and the Society wouldn’t even dare to think about coming for us anymore because we were going to be under the Maroni’s protection.  _ Family _ .

Zsasz ordered the men we brought with us to stay at the cars as we pulled up to the Maroni Family Mansion. Roman’s fingertips danced anxiously around mine as Zsasz opened the car door for us. Our pinkies hooked together before Roman pulled me out of the car with him. As I stood up tall in my heels, I pushed my dress down and fixed my hair nervously.  _ Look at the two of us, a bundle of nerves _ , I thought with a silent laugh.

As we entered the home, we were immediately greeted by an armed to the teeth for-hire army, very similar to the one we had back home. There was one man standing at the front of the group, and he welcomed us with a smile and open arms. Roman and Zsas both recognized him, but I didn’t— for obvious reasons.

“Welcome, welcome,” the man said. “Mr. Maroni is ecstatic that we could make tonight happen.”

Roman nodded an agreement, “As are we, Mr. Carbone.”

Mr. Carbone scoffed, “It’s Frankie, please, I insist.” No one said anything, which, I suppose, was some sort of acknowledgement of what he said. “You boys know the rules. We gotta check you.”

“I carry if your boys carry,” Zsasz said, referring to the ten or so men behind Frankie holding firearms.

“Fine, Mr. Zsasz. We can accommodate such a wish. However, we are still required to perform full body clearances in order to make sure that you are not wired in any way.” No one said anything again, so Frankie gestured for three men to step forward. They holstered their weapons and approached the three of us.

I flinched against Roman as I realized that one of them would be searching  _ me _ . Really, I shouldn’t have cared, but I had only just talked about  _ Him _ , and the feeling of another man touching  _ all _ of me could possibly trigger an unwanted reaction. Roman sensed how tense I was and stopped the man before he could touch me, “Do you have a woman, perhaps.” Frankie pulled the man in front of me back by his collar and gestured for one of the women to step forward.

In a line, the three of us stood with our arms outstretched like a “T” and our legs spread to shoulder width. We were patted down on each arm and leg, even so far as below my dress. Roman and Zsasz’s shirts were messed with while the wire of my bra was felt up. She was starting to get a little handy, honestly.  _ There’s nothing there but boobs, lady _ . When the men finished searching Roman and Zsasz, the woman stopped. They all returned to their spots in the group and Frankie smiled.

“Come on, then. The boss is waiting for you in the living room.”

Frankie and his army led us through the house. Roman and I both admired how sleek yet terrifying it all looked. It certainly wasn’t as inviting as the club, yet it was still homely in a way. It somewhat reminded me of Richard’s home. The colors were the same, and so was the narcissistic decor, but it was also a place that looked so innocent, yet belonged to a man who wasn’t. Perhaps Maroni and Richard shared more in common than I cared to think about.

We took a short turn to the left before turning right into the living room. Maroni was waiting for us eagerly at the door when we walked in. Zsasz and Frankie walked to a corner of the room together in order to blend in with the shadows and stay out of our way.

Maroni approached me. He put his hands on both of my shoulders before kissing both my cheeks then my lips. My eyes widened in slight shock while he pulled away. He laughed, “Don’t look so scared! I’m Italian, it’s how we welcome family!” I forced a laugh with him to play nice. He turned to Roman and opened his arms as wide as his toothy smile, “Roman!”

“Don Maroni,” Roman smiled and hugged him. They patted each other’s backs before Maroni leaned back to kiss Roman’s cheeks and lips.

“Please, sit down. We have so much to discuss.” Maroni took his seat in a red velvet chair while Roman and I shared the grey couch across from him. “It is so great to finally be meeting you, Ms. Wreef. Roman kept you locked away during our first meeting, but I just knew that we would finally have the pleasure of meeting one another. Do you both drink?” We nodded. “What do you fancy?” We told him and he asked his butler for the drinks. “My eldest son, he is a huge fan of your night club. He always raves about it. I suppose that one of these days I will have to stop by and see what all the jabber is about.”

“We would love that,” I spoke for Roman before he could get the chance.

Maroni leaned back in his chair once he received his drink, “Roman and I discussed the terms of our deal when we first met, so I won’t bore us all tonight with the fine details. Tonight, we shall celebrate a long overdue alliance and we shall welcome you to the family the only way the Maroni’s know how.”  _ Which would be?  _ “But I’m afraid I must admit something before we continue,” Mr. Maroni said. “Unfortunately, I’m privy to this poor town’s idle gossip, and the rumor mill in Gotham has been whispering an awful lot about you recently, Ms. Wreef. I’ve heard amazing tales of the things you did to those False Face Society assholes. Now, I never liked them, and I wish someone would get rid of the rest of them— yet, I’m still hesitant to believe such rumors. A beautiful woman like yourself is certainly capable of doing such things, but I’m apologetically unsure of the extent until I see if with my own eyes.”

“Don Maroni—” Roman began, sitting up in his seat, but Maroni stopped him with a silent hand.

“For those who wish to join our family, such as yourselves, they must first complete a task of my choosing. They are never easy tasks, and they always come with strings, but we do this in order to prove your loyalty to us. And afterwards, when those strings will perhaps bring, say, repercussions, it will be  _ my _ turn to prove my loyalty to you. After all, that is what family is for, is it not? It is our duty to protect each other and be loyal to only one another.” Maroni snapped his fingers and the room was set in motion. The butler left for the kitchen while the men standing guard in the room left through the hallway. Zsasz and Frankie stayed standing by each other’s hips. “My task tonight is for Ms. Wreef. I have no doubts in my mind about Roman, but these rumors about you, Ms. Wreef, sound alarmingly false. Tonight, you shall perhaps prove me wrong while simultaneously completing the task of earning my trust.” Maroni’s men returned, dragging a blindfolded man between them. “Say hello to Brett Wade. Brett was an advisor on my financial council. He was a part of our family, having completed the same arduous task you will perform tonight. I trusted him and loved him like I would my own blood. But what did Brett do with that trust and love? He abused it and used it so that he could get away with embezzling my money, and then he had the audacity to lie to me about it once I caught him.” The guards forcefully sat Brett down in a wooden chair behind me and Roman before tying him to it. “I don’t like traitors and liars, Ms. Wreef. And from what I hear, neither do you. So, show me just what it is you really do. Free reign and all.”

I looked to the side to see Roman’s eyes turning dark as his imagination ran wild with all the things I could possibly do to this man sitting tied up behind us. There were endless possibilities, yet there was only one idea that stuck out to me. Roman showed me the way he liked to handle these situations. His signature, if you will. And I knew that doing it for him in front of Maroni would make him so happy and proud.

“In  _ our _ family, Mr. Maroni, we handle these things a certain way,” I told him as I stood, grabbing both a knife and my gloves, which Zsasz was holding out for me. I walked around the couch while sliding on my gloves. “I’ll admit, it’s messy and tedious, but I’m sure it’s one of those things about us that caught your attention initially.” The man tied to the chair in front of me started to squirm and thrash against his restraints. “It takes a bit of practice and a lot of patience,” I continued to explain as I leaned forward and ducked my torso a bit until I was face to face with the captive man, “but it can be done.”

I brought the knife in my hands to the man’s chin and started cutting just like Zsasz showed me. He screamed in pain and thrashed around until two of Maroni’s men came over and held his shoulders down so that I could make my cut cleaner. I dragged the edge of the blade around the rest of his face until the two ends connected. Once the cut was done, I set my knife down on his thigh and started peeling at his face. As the loose skin tore off his nose, he either died or passed out, I couldn’t really tell until after I was done pulling.

Zsasz hurried over with a jar, and I wondered where the hell he got that before putting the man’s face in it for Mr. Maroni to keep. Zsasz put the lid on while I shook off the blood on my gloves. One of Maroni’s men handed me a white napkin, and I wiped the blade of my knife clean with it before going in again for the man’s ears as an extra little gift. Once both ears were off, I knew that he was dead, and returned to my seat on the couch next to Roman.

I dropped the ears on the table in front of Maroni and leaned against Roman’s side, “Did I live up to your expectations, then?”

Maroni stared at the face and ears sitting in front of him before laughing, “You really are a unique woman, Ms. Wreef.” He nudged around one of the ears with the toothpick that had once impaled the olives that were in his cocktail, “It’s barbaric, but it has style. Your reputation truly precedes you. I mean no offense, of course. This is truly a magnificent thing to witness— a woman such as yourself interested in such violence.” He snapped his fingers again and Frankie approached, “Frankie, get this shit out of here and deal with the rest of Mr. Wade. We must officially welcome these fine people to our family!”

Roman pushed one of my curls out of my face for me so that I didn’t have to worry about the blood on my hands getting on my face. Maroni raised a toast to us and our alliance as he watched us stare into each other’s eyes. Roman and I broke eye contact in order to raise our glasses with Maroni.

“To family!” he cheered.

“To family!” we both responded.


	23. The Epilogue

The club was shaking as the bass of the music echoed against the walls. Dinah was in the back, towards the bar, warming up her vocal chords that she would be using for the next hour or so. Zsasz was patrolling at the door, which wasn’t usual, but it wasn’t necessarily  _ unusual _ either. Sometimes Zsasz just had anxious nights and needed to be in control of the crowd at The Black Mask Club, and I couldn’t blame him for that.

Roman had an arm wrapped around my waist to keep me pulled close to his side while his fingers tapped against my side to the beat of the music. I barely noticed who was walking around inside the club, but I had to keep looking over my shoulder whenever someone would walk in. I trusted Zsasz to keep me and Roman safe, but I couldn’t take any chances. My kidnapping felt like ages ago, yet I couldn’t get what happened out of my head, even with the reassurance of my kidnapers’s deaths. If there were people out there who were really willing to pull down an entire wall just to get to me, I couldn’t imagine what they would do to get to Roman.

I didn’t think that Zsasz or I would ever let anything happen to Roman, but there would potentially come a day where I wouldn’t be in the picture anymore… while I hoped that day would never come and nothing would happen to me and Roman, I had to pray that Zsasz would keep Roman safe once I was gone. I mean, he did it before I came around, so he could do it once I was gone. But that wasn’t enough to settle my anxious mind or breaking heart. The thought of losing Roman made me want to throw my daggers at the wall again and again.

“What’s wrong?” Roman asked, nudging my side.

I shook my head, “Just got lost in thought.”

Roman stared at my cheek as I continued to look straight at the wall. “It’s going to be fine,” he soothed. I raised a brow and looked at him. “You keep looking at the door, that’s why I sent Zsasz over there to guard.” He had noticed my unease and did that for me?  _ I love you _ . I kissed him. “Would it be better if we went upstairs?”

I tried to not let my confusion peek through. Roman was never really like this. I mean, he was different with me, obviously, but this was so out of the ordinary. I searched his face for answers, observing that his forehead was sweating. “Are  _ you _ okay?” It was a yes or no kind of question, but I just wanted to know what was really wrong with him. Why was Zsasz watching the door and why was Roman being weird?

“I’m fine,” he responded, “I just want to go somewhere quiet, is that okay?”

I nodded, “Of course.” My eyes softened in worry before I started shuffling out of the booth. The song ended as we stood and Dinah took her place at the microphone. Her and the rest of the club took notice of mine and Roman’s departure, yet no one said anything or decided to follow us, not even Zsasz.

_ Does this have to do with Maroni? I thought that was all squared away weeks ago when I killed Brett or whatever the hell his name was. Perhaps this is about the Joker? I mean, if Maroni found out, Joker probably knows. He won’t be happy that we lied to him. _

Roman and I continued up the stairs that led to our penthouse. While I made a turn for the door, Roman continued up the flight of steps that led to the roof. I stopped to watch him for a moment to make sure he knew what he was doing before following him. We made our way up the steps while I tried very hard not to trip in my heels. Roman wanted me in a purple dress that evening, and he even bought me a new pair of heels that he liked better than my old ones. But they were so tall and there were so many fucking steps.  _ Jesus, Roman. _

As we came to the door that led to the roof, Roman had to unlock it before we could push through. Once he got it open, he took my hand and led me out into the cold Gotham air. The sun was just starting to set, and the breeze was beginning to chill. Even in the summer, Gotham nights were frigid, but I had to admit that the fresh air Roman requested felt nice on my skin and in my lungs.

As I stepped onto the roof, following Roman’s lead, I took in a deep breath while looking around. I had never been on the roof before. I never even considered it. The whole time I lived with Roman, I didn’t think there was possibly anything of interest up there, yet I couldn’t deny that the view was absolutely magnificent. It reminded me of the view from Richard’s office at Janus, Co. We weren’t as high off the ground, of course, but it was still enough to give us a view of the streets below while also an open shot of the tall buildings around us.

From where I was standing in the middle of the roof, I could see the Janus, Co. building. It was staring at me, like it knew that I had betrayed it. It stared at me and tried to tell me I was a monster for what I did to Richard, but I stared right back at it and told it that it had officed and benefitted more monsters than me. I was just one of the many monsters who entered Janus as a person and emerged as something far worse.

Roman approached the wall that surrounded the perimeter of the roof, and he leaned forward against it while he watched the city hurry around his building. I spun around slowly once more, just to take in the view another time.  _ How have I never come up here before? How have we never come up here before? How was I so ignorant to this place’s beauty? _

I took a step forward and leaned against the ledge of the building, standing close to Roman’s side. His pinky drifted to the side until it captured mine and held on tight. As it touched my skin, the bitter chill of his ring sent shivers up my spine. The rest of my hand naturally moved in order to rest our palms together and intertwine our fingers. We both let out a simultaneous sigh while looking down on the city.

As we stood there, with the sun coming down overhead, I recalled the first time I watched a Gotham sunset, and how I thought it was so beautiful. It still was the best kind of sunset I had ever witnessed, but with Roman now, it was like the colors were more vibrant than before. Like I saw everything more clearly for once.

“It’s beautiful,” I commented quietly, not wanting to interrupt Roman’s thinking or the sunset that had us both so encaptured. “I can’t believe I’ve never thought to come up here before. It’s just been sitting here—”

“There’s something I have to say,” Roman interrupted. He hadn’t done it to be rude towards me, but because he had been so lost in thought, he didn’t even realize what he was saying until it was too late. Something was weighing heavily on him, and I knew that he had to get it out fast or he would never say it. Whatever it was, it was why we were outside for air and he was acting all fidgety. “We’ve known each other for a hundred days precisely. One hundred days ago, you wandered into The Black Mask Club for the very first time, and you took my breath away. I remember being so taken with you that I wanted to rush through the whole idea of asking for your help and just skip to the part where I could get to know everything about you. But I was the worst to you, wasn’t I? In my attempt to be rapid, I scared you off, and I thought that it was all over. But then you came back. You came back and you proved to be more than I ever thought you could possibly be. I always knew I loved you, but you know how hard it was for me to say it because I never thought of myself as someone who was worth anyone’s love— including yours. There have been times where I’ve genuinely thought that I’m not enough and that maybe…”

“You talk a lot when you’re nervous, Mr. Sionis,” I laughed, thinking about how he teased me about my rambling when I gave him the same ring that was around his pinky.

“I had a speech prepared, I promise. Zsasz told me I should have written it all down, but…”

I finally figured out what was happening. Roman was all nervous because he was trying to do the one thing that meant everything to us both.  _ To me, marriage was something that could only be seriously considered if you knew with your entire being that you didn’t want to be with anyone else ever again. That if you were going to marry someone, you had to love them entirely and unconditionally. There could be no buts, no cheating, no splitting up.  _ That was something I always truly believed in, and I knew that I could have all of that with Roman— no hesitation.

I turned towards Roman, leaning my hip against the wall. My free hand raised to his cheek and caressed it. The feeling of the small hairs from his shaved beard scratched my fingers, but I didn’t mind it. Not when he was staring at me the way he was… With a look that said: I love you, Morgana. “Will you share your life with me?” I asked, nudging him towards what I know he wanted to ask me.

Roman’s free hand found one of my curls and curled it before resting his palm against my cheek. I pressed into his touch and relaxed. “Will you share your life with me?” he echoed, and I nodded against his hand.

“Will you always love me?”

“Will you always love me?”

A tear slid down my cheek and I nodded. “Will you marry me?”

Roman stiffened for a moment before I dragged my thumb along his bottom lip as a plea for him to ask me the question finally. He relaxed and kissed the pad of my thumb, “Will you marry me?” He realized that he had asked the question before even pulling out the ring or getting down on one knee.

As he started frantically searching all of his pockets for the ring, I bit my lip to hold back a laugh, “Just kiss me and say my name like you always promised you would.” I took his chin between my thumb and index finger in order to fold his face towards mine so that I could finally kiss him. His hands fell out of his pockets and wrapped around my waist before picking me up and spinning me around.

“I see you, Morgana…” he whispered while putting me down.

“I understand you, Roman.”

“I like you, Morgana.”

I smiled, “I love you, Roman.”

He kissed me again, with more passion than before— if that were even possible. I held onto his suit jacket as he dipped me slowly like we were in some old Hollywood movie and he was the man who had just come home from the war and declared his love for me.

We had come so far together. From just  _ seeing _ each other to completely  _ loving _ each other. All in the span of a hundred days. How? How could something so perfect be so real and in my arms? What did I ever do to deserve such a love— and what on Earth did I do to deserve Roman Sionis? A hundred days.  _ Jesus _ . That was all it took. A hundred fucking days and we were engaged. And it felt so right. Nothing felt more natural and perfect in my life…  _ ever _ .

Roman and I always talked about how things didn’t make complete sense, but maybe that was just us trying to be naive in order to protect ourselves or each other. Because that night, as he held me in his arms, forgetting about the ring he was supposed to put on my finger, I knew that he made sense and that we made sense. A hundred days made sense.

“You’re the only family I have, Morgana,” he told me as we finally parted from each other in order to breathe. He took this opportunity to finally find the ring in his pocket, “All our lives, we were abused because of the demons inside us both. Our families never loved us because of it. But I love you because of your demons, and you love me because of mine. That’s what family is. If we can’t have them, then we have each other. And that’s all I need.”

“Is that the speech you had prepared?” I asked with a cheeky smile. “It’s very good.”

Roman took the engagement ring out of the small, black velvet box, “Fuck the speech. This is better than how I ever imagined it happening.”

“Well, I had to tell you all the words.”

Roman took my hand and slid on the ring, “Don’t get too sassy there, Ms. Morgana.”

A thought struck me, “Mmm… Mr. and Mrs. Sionis. It just rolls off the tongue, doesn’t it?”

Roman brought my hand to his lips and kissed the ring on my finger, “I fucking love you, Mrs. Morgana Sionis.” And my heart melted.


End file.
